Not Quite Over Yet
by guubear
Summary: [HiME Otome crossover] After the Carnival, Natsuki is still feeling restless. Is everything really over? ShizNat centric, minor HarukaYukino, MaiMikoto, ChieAoi, NinaErstin, NaoShiho, MidoriYouko. Warnings: shoujoai, yuri, language, blood [ch 22, 23, 24]
1. Normal Life

**Not Quite Over Yet**

By: Guubear

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue.

* * *

Chapter 1: Normal Life 

Kuga Natsuki was irritated.

Sure, the whole ordeal was over thanks to a certain nosy friend of hers, but she couldn't help but notice this nagging voice in the back of her head that something wasn't quite finished yet. The whole thing felt like a fleeting nightmare to her. Sometimes she even doubted that she wasn't just trapped in some kind of illusion, her memory of everything that happened in the Carnival was too surreal to be true.

This peaceful school life almost made her believe that she was a normal teenager. A giggly, carefree, hormonal, happy, empty-headed, boring, but nonetheless normal girl.

Being normal was all she wanted, right?

"Oi, you listening?"

She snapped her head up and glared at her friend, who at the moment was looking back at her with mild annoyance on her face. _Crap, so what was she talking about just now? I wasn't really listening to her rant._

"I'm listening. What do you want?" she replied impatiently, her arms crossed in front of her chest while one foot tapped repeatedly on the floor.

Mai didn't seem to be put off by her obvious sigh of rejection. "I am talking about **this**. You. Come on, Natsuki, you know you can tell me, don't you? You have been acting so weird lately."

_Oh no, don't go there._

"There is nothing wrong with me." Natsuki narrowed her icy green eyes dangerously, sounding a little more defensive than she'd originally intended. The tapping of her foot had stopped, and instead the raven-haired girl turned and started walking away from her friend.

However, being a friend, and a good one at that, the redhead had no intention of letting this apparently pissed-off girl brush her off like that. "I'm not saying there is. I am just concerned." She followed Natuski closely, determined not to let her slip away this time.

"There is nothing to be concerned about. I'm fine." Natsuki clenched her jaw and walked faster. _Damn. Just let it go._

"Natsuki!"

She almost jumped when she felt her friend's hand on her arm. Her violent reaction to the casual touch, however, startled her friend. Mai quickly retracted her hand and apologized.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to..."

"Save it." Mai's apology was cut short by Natsuki's cold voice.

Mai couldn't help but feeling hurt by the raven-haired girl's unfriendly reply, and she frowned deeply and spoke, "Why are you so irritated? You are... you are so angry lately, if it's possible, even angrier than months ago when everything was still a mess."

"I'M NOT ANGRY!" Natsuki barked at her friend, who was now staring back at her with a "there you go" look on her face. "I'm not angry." She breathed in deeply and then let out a long sigh, now speaking with a much toned down voice. "I'm just... Hmph... a little irritated."

"That's all?" Mai asked in a unbelieving tone. Obviously she knew that there was more to it than her friend was willing to discuss, but she was not about to push her luck by inquiring about this matter further. At least Natsuki admitted that she was "a little" irritated, and that was good enough for now.

"That's all."

* * *

"Kyaa! Good day, Kaichou-sama!" 

"Good day." Fujino Shizuru, former kaichou of the Fuuka Academy Student Council, gracefully nodded her head toward a crowd of squealing (female) students while on her way to the school dormitory to look for her ice Hime.

Not that it was an easy task, not lately.

She had known the girl for several years, though it seemed short, but who's counting? If anyone had asked before, she would have been the person who could claim to know Natsuki best. However, lately she just wasn't sure anymore. Her dear friend seemed... agitated, whatever the cause of it might be.

She let out a small sigh at the thought of her troubled friend. Ever since the first day they met each other, Shizuru had been aware that Natsuki was very angry. She had a reason to be; the tragic death of her mother made her so. Now that the Carnival was over and the First District was crushed (literally, by Kiyohime), she had imagined that Natsuki would not be so angry anymore. Well, her prediction was correct for the first couple months following the end of Carnival, but now it seemed like it was just her wishful thinking.

Natsuki was still very angry, although not at Shizuru, oddly enough. She should have been the target of all her anger, considering what she had done during the Carnival. Shizuru shook her head slightly, trying to stop herself from recalling that single shameful act of betrayal that had driven her over the edge of sanity. _No more of that. _

Shizuru thought bitterly as her chestnut hair fell into her unfocused crimson eyes, _Yup, leave it to the all-mighty kaichou-sama to really screw things up royally._ _It's a miracle that it was forgiven... or was it? No, stop doubting. Natsuki told me so, and I am going to believe her, otherwise... _

"Shizuru? What are you doing here? Don't you have that family thing you said you were gonna attend?" A cool soothing voice interrupted her self-loathing and brought her back to reality. Shizuru smiled and turned in the direction the voice had come from. A raven-haired girl clad in a tight biker suit was standing there with a helmet in her arm. _Oh yes, a very tight biker suit. _Shizuru's grin deepened at the thought of that.

"I missed my Natsuki so much, so I decided to hurry back. Did you miss me too?" the taller girl teased with her distinct Kyoto accent, resulting in a very red Natsuki. _A very embarrassed Natsuki in a very tight biker suit, that just made my day!_

"Baka! It's only been three days..." Natsuki looked away, determined not to look at the teasing girl's face. _Would it kill her not to say stuff like that every single time? On second thought, it probably would..._ And then she saw it in the corner of her eyes: Shizuru was carrying a bag in her hand. "Say, what's that?" She came closer to examine the brown paper bag in the other girl's hand.

Shizuru pulled away.

Just slightly, but it was enough for the shorter girl to notice, and it was enough to drive a violent jolt of pain and anger deep into her chest. "That's a little souvenir I brought back from Kyoto," Shizuru cheerfully explained the contents of the bag, still unaware of the change in the other girl's mood. "Wanna guess what it is?"

Natsuki stared at the bag her smiling friend was holding, her icy glare almost boring a hole through the innocent brown paper bag. "Not interested," she grunted through her teeth and lowered her intense gaze to the delicate fingers holding the bag, but she then quickly turned away and started walking briskly past the chestnut haired girl.

Now realized that her dear friend had suddenly gotten angry for no good reason, again, Shizuru opened her mouth and tried to say something about it, but she quickly decided against it. _Natsuki is the kind of girl who would only talk if she wants to. There is no use pushing her._

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Irritated, Natsuki whipped around and frowned at her friend, who was still standing there trying to figure out the situation.

_Coming?_ The usually graceful Kyoto beauty now looked a little dazed by her friend's question. _Where? _

"Hurry up. I want to change out of this. The heat is killing me." She plowed through her long blue mane with her gloved hand carelessly. Wearing a full-body leather suit and a heavy helmet under the early summer blaze was not such a good idea after all, Natsuki took a mental note. Although it did seem like a great idea when the wind blew pass her hair as she pushed her bike to the limit a while ago. Now it just seemed like a drag.

Chuckling lightly, ruby eyes glinting with mischief, Shizuru walked up to Natsuki and grinned. "Ara, are you asking me to help you take off your clothes?" _She smells nice._ She breathed in the sweet scent that belonged only to the raven-haired girl, feeling a faint but familiar feeling flustering in her chest. _She smells nice._

Almost instantly, Natsuki's face turned bright red, like a shrimp tossed into a pot of boiling water. "Sh... Shut up!" Shizuru could almost see steam coming out of her friend's ears. "Don't say weird stuff like that!"

"Embarrassed, Natsuki?"

"Do you even have to ask? Anyone would be if you keep talking like that!"_She is pure evil._ Natsuki could feel her blood pressure rising. _And I'm just asking for it for ever opening my big fat mouth. _"I'm leaving."

But the chestnut-haired girl could see that her friend's foul mood had improved. _Maybe she likes to be teased._ Shizuru's gleeful grin deepened at the thought of that as she followed the now positively fuming girl back to her dorm room.

* * *

"Report." 

"Yes, sir. Their bodies were not found."

"And?"

"They were assumed to be alive."

"Find them and bring them back. You don't need me to tell you just how important they are to us, do you?"

"Understood, sir."

* * *

Living alone in a dorm room has its perks, freedom and privacy for example. However, the down side of living alone was that she had to live off junk food, mayonnaise mostly, not that it's a real torture or anything close to it. She couldn't cook without being arrested for arson, so she didn't bother. Instant ramen with a couple spoonfuls of mayonnaise was her definition of a balanced diet. 

Although a certain tea-loving girl couldn't disagree more.

"Sit down and wait here. No peeking." Natsuki took off her gloves and placed them inside her overturned helmet before she gave Shizuru a warning glare.

"Hai, hai." The chestnut-haired beauty obeyed and sat down on the sofa, watching her friend disappear behind the bedroom door.

_It's not as messy as last time I visited. She cleaned up,_ Shizuru thought to herself as she looked around the room. The place could still use some dusting, but it wasn't terrible. Considering Natsuki's hatred toward all forms of housework, this was as good as they come. _She is paying more attention to her own life, good for her. And this... _The Kyoto girl put the brown paper bag down on the coffee table. _I hope she will like it._

The bedroom door opened after a few minutes. Natsuki came out of her room, now wearing a simple blue jean with a white tank top, her hair tied into a pony-tail. "Want something to drink?" She asked her guest as she walked toward the kitchen.

"Water is fine."

The reply made the raven-haired girl stop dead in her tracks. She frowned and turned to give her friend a weird look. "Not tea?"

Shizuru chuckled. "I guess the weather is getting to me. It's too hot for tea."

Natsuki looked amused by her friend's reply. "Alright, suit yourself. Water it is." She took out two bottles of mineral water from the fridge and put one on the coffee table. "By the way, how did the family thing go? Was it alright for you to leave early?"

"Natsuki is worrying about me? Ara, I am glad to know that." The older girl successfully made the younger one blush slightly with her playful tone. "The family meeting was merely a formality, nothing important, really. Besides, I have to come back to Fuuka to prepare for the new semester."

"I see." Shizuru did decide to go to Fuuka University after her graduation from Fuuka Academy a month ago, contrary to her earlier declaration of staying behind a year just to be with Natsuki. More accurately, Natsuki insisted that the former kaichou to be more responsible instead of acting like a spoiled brat. Coming from the queen of skipping school, that was saying a lot. Fuuka University was only fifteen minutes by bike from Fuuka Academy after all. They could still see each other every day without too much trouble.

"Would you like to try it on?" Shizuru had opened up the brown paper bag she brought and took out its contents when the other girl wasn't paying attention.

The souvenir was a beautifully made light blue yukata decorated with dark blue wave patterns. It looked very much like the one Natsuki wore when her friend was taking care of her during the Carnival. "This is..."

"When I saw this in Kyoto, I remembered you liked the colour."

Shizuru's voice came out calm and composed, but Natsuki could tell that there was a hint of fear underneath the masked cheerfulness. The dark-haired girl bit back a fleeting ache in her chest and gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Shizuru. I like it very much." _I told her that all's been forgiven, but she just had to torture herself like that... Baka._

"Say, do you want to go to the summer festival up in Fuuka Shrine with me?" Natsuki took the yukata from the chestnut-haired girl's hand and felt the smooth fabric with her fingers. "It seems like a good occasion to wear this."

"Ara, is Natsuki asking me to a date?"

As expected, Natsuki's cheeks flared up when her friend poked fun at her, but she was not about to back down. A little teasing wouldn't faze her determination of making her most important friend happy. "Do you want to go or not?"

Shizuru was positively beaming now. "If it's what Natsuki wants. I would be honored to go on a date with you."

"It's NOT a date!"

"Hai, hai."

* * *

Before Shizuru left, they had made plans to meet in front of Fuuka Shrine at seven that night. 

Natsuki never showed up.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.


	2. Ambushed

Chapter 2: Ambushed

It all happened so fast.

Natsuki was sprawled on her stomach, blood trailing down her forehead and into her unfocused green eyes. Head buzzing with too much pain, she fought hard to stay conscious. _It's déjà vu, _she thought while trying to move her aching limbs. _It hurts more than the last time I crashed my bike. Oh, yeah, last time I got wiped out because of Nao's creepy spider web trap, what is it this time? _

A black army boot connected with her torso and flipped her over with excessive force. She coughed and choked for precious air, but the sharp pain on the side of her chest almost knocked her out. _Damn, that hurts like a bitch._

"Careful, their kind can put up a fight."

Natsuki could barely make out the harsh male voice that seemed to be coming from some faraway place. _What the hell? Their kind? Don't tell me..._ A pair of gloved hands not too gently removed the helmet she was wearing. _At least it's easier to now, _Natsuki thought bitterly.

"Subject confirmed, sir."

"Good. Secure her. The other one might..."

KABOOM!

The sentence was cut short by an ear-splitting explosion, followed by frantic screams and the sounds of semi-automatic rounds erupting all around her. _What's happening...? No matter, it's my chance now._ Too exhausted to pick herself up from the ground, the injured biker lay flat on the hard asphalt while searching her pocket for her cellphone with shaky fingers. _I need to warn her. _

She opened her fist and saw pieces of what used to be her cellphone. Tears started streaming down her face, she felt nauseous, she wanted to scream. _Shizuru..._

Darkness clouded her vision, she felt herself sinking. Just before she completely closed her eyes, she thought she saw something.

A flash of purple lightning.

* * *

**Earlier that day:**

"It's not a date." Natsuki stood in front of the dressing mirror and said to herself the millionth time. A blushing girl dressed in a light blue yukata looked back at her from the other side of the mirror, an incriminating piece of evidence that was contradicting her previous declaration. _It's not a date, damn it. So stop blushing._

"This is stupid," she mumbled to herself as she worked to weave her hair into a loose braid. _Just like Shizuru did for me last time. How did she do it again? Damn I have fat fingers._ After another ten minutes of failed attempts, she finally decided to leave her hair down like usual. "Why the hell would I want to braid it in the first place?"

_Because it's a date. _

"It's not a date."

_Yes it is._

"I really should stop talking to myself." She sighed and turned her gaze to the clock on the wall. _4:35. Much too early to be putting Shizuru's gift on. Maybe I should take it off? Or maybe not 'cause I just spent like an hour putting this on._

While she was busy debating with herself, her cellphone rang. She frowned and picked up her phone from the desk. "It's me."

"Yo, Kuga-san. I have information for you." The man on the phone was Yamada, one of her most reliable sources of information. She hadn't made any contact with him after the Carnival because there had been no need to. Getting this phone call from him after these peaceful months just struck her to be odd.

"What kind of information?" Natsuki asked, but got a small pause before the reply came.

"Sensitive. We shouldn't be talking about that stuff over the phone. I'll tell you the details at the usual place."

"Now? Can't this wait?" _I don't want to be late for the da... DAMN IT, IT'S NOT A DATE!_

"Well, I have no problem with that, but it's really in your best interests if you come here as soon as possible. You see, it doesn't just concern you, but also that Kyoto babe of yours."

Natsuki tensed up immediately. "Shizuru? What about her?"

"You'll know once you come."

"I understand. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone and started changing out of her yukata at top speed. _If I hurry, I can make it to downtown and make it back before six._ She zipped up her black biker suit and grabbed her helmet on the desk. _I hope I won't be late._

Natsuki was ambushed on her way to her contact. When the front wheel of her bike got caught in a black wire and her body was sent flying through the air, she finally realized that it had all been a trap.

* * *

At first, she thought the other girl was just late. But when she couldn't reach her friend through her cellphone, she started to worry. After another hour of waiting, she decided to go to the younger girl's place and see what was going on. _Natsuki would never stand me up,_ Shizuru thought. _She would at least call me. _

Shizuru hated to be rushed, but now she was hurrying down the stairs as fast as the lilac yukata she was wearing allowed. _Maybe Natsuki is having problem putting on a yukata by herself,_ she told herself, trying to lighten her panicking mind.

"Ah, kaichou. Are you alright?" A timid-looking girl in a lime green yukata greeted her in the middle of the stairs. A taller girl garbed in yellowish green yukata was standing behind the shorter girl, shooting an unfriendly look toward Shizuru.

_I don't have time for this._ The former kaichou didn't even bother to stop to look at the two girls, she just hurried right pass them.

"EEK! The nerve! That bubuzuke-onna has no matter!" The tall girl was so furious, her shoulder-length blond hair was almost standing on end.

"It's manner, Haruka-chan..."

"What? Anyway, we are leaving, Yukino." The blonde grabbed the brown-haired girl's hand and continued up the stairs.

Yukino blushed furiously and lowered her head, her glasses hiding emerald eyes fixed on their interlaced fingers. _So warm..._

* * *

Shizuru knocked on Natsuki's door. No one answered. She bent down to search underneath the doormat and found a key. _Natsuki told me where the key was, so it's alright if I use it..._ Hesitantly, she unlocked the door and opened it.

It was pitch black inside. Shizuru flipped on the light and looked around but couldn't find the girl she had been looking for. The bedroom door was open. She stepped in the bedroom and saw her gift left on the bed.

"Natsuki? Natsuki, are you there? Answer me!" The sound of someone yelling and banging on the door made her jumped in surprise. She quickly left the bedroom to answer the door. "Yes?"

Three girls burst through the door. Shizuru recognized the busty one with flaming orange hair to be Tokiha Mai, the short one with bushy black hair and two thin braids hanging on the side to be Minagi Mikoto, and the delinquent-looking redhead to be Yuuki Nao. "Eh... Fujino-san. Have you seen Natsuki around?" the orange-haired girl asked.

Shizuru's blood froze as she saw what the girl had in her hand.

A bloody black helmet.

"It's Natsuki's..." Her voice came out as a whisper. She took the helmet from Mai's hand and held it tightly against her chest. _It smells like Natsuki._ The other three girls stood there and looked at the older girl's unusual behaviour nervously.

"Where did you find it?" Shizuru asked, her voice eerily calm and melodic. Mai gulped uneasily before she answered.

"We found it at the Marine Drive. It was lying on the side of the road. We didn't see her bike or anything..."

The rest of the sentence got stuck in her throat when she met the former kaichou's eyes. _They look dead._

Shizuru bolted for the door.

"Stop her!" Mai threw herself against the berserking girl. Mikoto heard her owner's order and jumped on top of Shizuru. Even without her HiME power, Shizuru was still winning in brute force in her current state. "Calm down! Please!" the busty girl pleaded. "And do something, Nao!"

BANG!

The Kyoto girl suddenly stopped struggling as her body went limp. The orange-haired girl gasped and glared at the redhead, who was holding a broken wooden chair in her hand, grinning. "You don't have to hit her!" Mai yelled.

The redhead carelessly tossed the chair aside. "You told me to do something."

* * *

She dreamed of flying.

She often had nightmare of falling. It was always falling. Over a cliff, in the back seat of a car, Duran in her arms, and mother...

_"Mother, I'm scared." _

_"I'm sorry, Natsuki-chan, but you shouldn't be here. HiMEs are..." _

She would wake up screaming. Sometimes she just wished that she had died with her mother in that icy tomb. Sometimes she even suspected that she already had.

"Child, one born from the feelings for an important person. The stronger the feelings, the stronger the Child is," so the lime-haired boy Nagi had said. "If you are going to fight, you'll have to put what's most important to you on the line."

"I will never love again."

_I don't have an important person anymore. Mother's dead. But how come I can still summon Duran?_

"I will never trust another person."

Shizuru.

"For the one I love, I would do anything."

My precious person.

When the mammoth Duran materialized underneath her feet, she was genuinely shocked to her core, although she didn't show it in front of Shizuru at that time.

_Love would only cause pain. I loved mother, but she died, and I wanted to die with her. The more I love, the more pain I would feel. What would happen if I ever lose Shizuru?_

"...Please wake up."

Natsuki opened her eyes and saw those tear-filled crimson orbs hanging over her face. _Shizuru... _

They were flying.

Natsuki closed her eyes again.

* * *

_That stupid girl better not die on me,_ Yuuki Nao, freshman of Fuuka High School, thought grimly as she strolled the naughty part of downtown. _How much trouble does she have to bring me? Seriously. Disappearing like this for three days is just plain irresponsible. _

They've checked every hospital in the area, but no one looking like that girl was ever checked in. Then they searched the entire area where that girl's helmet was found, but they didn't find her there either.

Nao's green eyes darkened slightly. They did find many spent bullet casings, scorch marks, and blood, whatever that might imply. And then they finally checked the morgue. Still nothing, thankfully.

_Why do I even bother to look for that big-forehead-violent-good-for-nothing-male-hormone-depraved-bad-mouthing girl? _The redhead sighed deeply as she went into a dark alley to meet her contact.

"I'm here. Are you the one who text messaged me about some missing girl?" she asked the figure hidden in the shadow.

That person nodded. Nao narrowed her eyes and stared at the person suspiciously. That person's face was mostly concealed under a black baseball hat, but judging from the long dark blue hair and the slender build, it seemed like a girl.

_Suspicious. Really suspicious. Where have I seen that girl? If only I could see her face._

Nao moved a little closer toward the other girl, but the other girl spoke in a hushed tone, "That's close enough. I don't intend to show my face. Now tell me, have you seen the girl in the photo?"

The dark haired girl handed Nao a wrinkled photo. The redhead looked at the photo and frowned deeply. _This photo, and that voice..._ "Kuga?"

The other girl flinched.

"What the hell?" Nao zoomed close and took off the baseball hat the other girl was wearing. "Are you out of your mind? Everyone has been looking for you!"

The taller girl looked shocked at the redhead's behaviour. She just stood there and glared at Nao.

"Come on, I'll take you back." Nao said.

"Are you working for them too? I'm not going back. Give me back my photo." She snatched the photo from the redhead's hand and attempted to leave, but Nao grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Not going back? Do you have any idea what you've done to your friend? She's falling apart. It's heartless even coming from you," Nao yelled at the other girl. "That's it, I'm taking you straight to her." She started dragging the taller girl toward the street.

"Her? You know where she is?"

"Shut up and just follow me." Nao snapped impatiently. "But my bike..." The taller girl looked at the opposite direction.

"Alright then, we'll take your bike. Faster than the bus. Which one is your bike?" The other girl pointed at a battered old chopper. Nao walked toward it and sat against the sissy bars, looking quite annoyed. "Hurry up. I've got better things to do."

The taller girl sat on the bike and kick-started the engine. "Which way?"

Nao rolled her eyes. "I'll talk, you drive."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.


	3. Not Her

Chapter 3: Not Her

"How is she, Youko-sensei?" Mai asked the school nurse as she came out of the bedroom.

The brown-haired woman gave the concerned girl a weary smile and said, "She seems calm now, but she still refused to eat or drink anything. Fujino-san... She wouldn't even cry. Crying at a time like this would really do her a world of good. I'm worried."

"Mai looks sad, Sensei looks sad, Fujino looks sad, I feel sad too. Natsuki should come back soon, so everyone won't be sad again. Yup." Mikoto rubbed her face against the taller girl's ample bosom, looking quite depressed.

Mai gently hugged the shorter girl's head and tousled her unruly black hair. "Natsuki will come back, don't worry. That girl is strong and kind after all."

_Yes, she is strong and kind, and she will come back to me._

Shizuru heard the conversation. She was alone in Natsuki's bedroom, lying on her friend's bed, her tired crimson eyes fixed somewhere on the ceiling. _She will come back to me, she has to._

The Kyoto girl tried to get up from the bed, but found herself still chained to it. _I've always been fantasizing about being chained to Natsuki's bed, but not like this._ She pulled harder, the chains clinking noisily as the cold metal dug deeply into her skin. _I need to find her._

The bedroom door swung open, and Mai, Mikoto, and Youko hurried to Shizuru's side to restrain her. "You'll hurt yourself if you don't stop. You need to calm down," the school nurse tried to reason with the chestnut-haired girl.

"I need to find her," Shizuru hissed while struggling futilely against the strength of three people plus two sturdy metal chains.

Mai couldn't bear to watch this anymore and almost burst into tears. "You are making her sad, Fujino." She said in a strangled voice.

Shizuru's body stiffened at the accusation.

"What would she feel if she saw you breaking down like this? Now pull yourself together and stop acting like an idiot!" Mai snapped.

"... I will try." Shizuru replied weakly. She would try, for Natsuki.

They let go of Shizuru hesitantly, half expecting the girl to go berserk again, but she didn't. She just lay very still on her back, her beautiful crimson eyes looking horridly lifeless.

Mai had to bite hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from wailing out loud.

"Mai..."

The orange-haired girl found herself being held in Mikoto's death grip. "I'm fine," she assured the trembling girl. Mikoto was crying her eyes out and had to use the busty girl's shirt as a handkerchief.

_I can't cry, I am only upsetting Mikoto. Natsuki, where are you?_

"Special delivery!" Nao's cheery voice came through the front door. She poked her head into the bedroom and grinned cheekily. "Nao-chan is here to save the day. Now look what I found. TA-DA!"

Everyone gasped as a girl with dark blue hair walked into the room.

"I've found you!" The girl squealed and pounced on the chestnut-haired girl on the bed.

"You've come back..." Shizuru whispered, tears overflowed from her ruby eyes.

"I've missed you so much." The raven-haired girl pulled her friend into a desperate embrace. Shizuru tried to hug the girl back, but found herself unable to.

"Ah... My arms..."

"What? What the... They chained you to the bed? Who the fuck did this?" Green eyes narrowed in absolute outrage, the biker demanded in a harsh tone, "Release her NOW!"

"Right away." The busty girl cringed guiltily under the scrutinizing green eyes and scrambled to unchain the former kaichou. Since Natsuki was back, there was no reason to restrain Shizuru anymore.

Once her arms were free, nothing in the world could stop Shizuru from wrapping them tightly around the girl she loved. "You are really back... You won't leave me again, right?" Her trembling voice was unsure and weak.

"I will never leave you," emerald eyes locked with the ruby eyes and promised. She gently cupped her friend's face with both hands and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. "Never again," she promised, and leaned forward to kiss the girl on the lips.

The room was dead silent as they saw the usually shy girl pinning her friend to the bed and kissing her passionately. No one other than those two on the bed made a sound because their jaws were hanging stupidly open from the scene they were witnessing.

Mai was so shocked that she forgot to cover Mikoto's eyes.

"Hmph... They've got guts. Nice tongue use. I bet they practice." Nao looked very amused.

Mikoto frowned slightly in confusion and then decided to consult her owner for an answer. She tugged on Mai's shirt to get her attention and asked innocently. "What are they doing?"

Mai could feel the heat on her cheeks. She cleared her throat loudly and stuttered, "They... It's... They are kissing."

That didn't seem to satisfy the short girl's curiosity. "Why are they kissing? Is kissing edible?"

Mai was lost for words.

Nao snorted. "Yes, Mikoto-chan, kissing is edible. It's reeeeealy delicious."

The busty girl glared the redhead in disgust. "No, Mikoto. Kissing is something you can only do with the one you love."

Mikoto's golden eyes sparkled at the revelation. "Ah, I see. Can I kiss Mai? I love Mai! Kissing Mai is delicious! Yup!"

Mai sensed the urge to strangle a certain delinquent rising. "Say, maybe we should get out of this room and leave them alone." Her brows twitched. "It's not good for the kids..."

"I'm not a kid, I'm in high school already," the feral girl protested.

A loud, frightened gasp reverted everyone's attention back to the lovey-dovey couple. They were not as snuggly as a minute ago anymore. Instead, they had pushed each other far, far apart and were both wide-eyed in disbelieve.

"You are not Natsuki/Viola!"

The raven-haired girl jumped out of the bed while rubbing her lips furiously with the back of her hand. "How dare you wear her face, you sneaky doppelganger! Who the hell are you people!"

"Na... Natsuki?" Mai feared that her eyes might actually fall out of their sockets. "What are you talking about?"

Shizuru stood up from the bed and tried to remain calm as she talked to the girl whom she had just kissed. "Who are you? Do you know where my Natsuki is?"

"I have no idea what you people are talking about. I've never heard of any Natsuki in my life. How dare you fool me into kis..." The girl's face turned beet red. "Argh! I'm leaving!"

"No you are not, not until you tell us everything." Nao shifted and blocked the door. "And are you sure you are not Kuga? You look exactly like her. Maybe you just hit your head..."

The Natsuki look-alike snickered at the redhead. "What Kuga? My name is Kruger! You brainless-bimbo-with-holes-for-eyes should get **your** head checked! I bet it's filled with sponge!"

"That's it!" Nao cracked her knuckles. "I don't care if it's Kuga or Kruger, I am kicking your ass!"

"Cut it out, you two. Now is not the time for this." Mai positioned herself between the two equally hot-headed girls and attempted to stop them from physically hurting each other. "Natsu... I mean, Kruger-san, please. We have been looking for a girl called Natsuki. I know it might be hard to believe but she looks exactly like you. We mean you no harm."

"No harm? HA! You Searrs dogs can keep trying to trick me with that lame excuse. I'm not going back! EVER! Adios!"

"No! Don't!" Shizuru gasped as the raven-haired girl leapt out of the open window. She rushed after her but was held back by the school nurse, who had been keeping a keen look out for her patient from the start.

"That girl is crazy. This is the fourth floor!" Mai poked her flaming orange head out of the window, purple eyes scanning the ground for the raven-haired girl. "She's gone. How did she manage to run so fast?"

"Ahh... We didn't get anything out of her." Nao crossed her arms and scoffed. "What a waste of time."

The school nurse disagreed. "Not really. That girl did mention Searrs, and she mistook Fujino-san to be another girl called Viola. That's some useful information right there."

The redhead shuddered visibly. "First it's a Kuga double and now there is a Fujino double out there? Just imagine the four of them sitting in the same room sipping tea. Scary. This world is ending."

"Searrs." The Kyoto girl thinned her lips, her eyes bore the colour of blood, burning with murderous intent, her voice sweet but cold. "So they are the ones who are responsible for hurting my Natsuki. They shall pay dearly for this."

No one doubted the former kaichou, especially not Nao.

* * *

She did jump out of the window, but she didn't exactly jump down, she flew up.

From her past experiences, Kruger had learned that Searrs could only trace her if she maintained her materialization for over a minute. So in order to escape from that Viola look-alike and her lackeys, she materialized her robe for only a few seconds to land herself on the rooftop. Those people could try to search the entire area, but they wouldn't expect to find her hiding right on top of them.

Besides, she could easily listen in and anticipate any possible attack from this strategic location.

_Viola..._ Kruger brought her hand up and touched her lips. _I was almost fooled, _the raven-haired girl thought. _How could there be anyone else who looks exactly like you? But that girl..._

_She tasted different._

Kruger blushed at the thought of that. _I just kissed a complete stranger. She may look like my Viola, but she is not my Viola. Just when I thought I had finally found you, it turned out to be a petty trap to lure me in. _

The girl sat against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest, brooding. _And what's the deal with that 'Natsuki' person they kept talking about? What kind of stupid name is 'Natsuki' anyway?_

* * *

The tinkling sounds of a wind chime woke her up. Natsuki's emerald eyes fluttered open, but quickly closed again at the bright morning sunlight.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Natsuki groaned. "Another 5... 10 minutes." She tried to raise her left arm to shield her eyes from the annoying brightness, but an unexpected dull pain on her side made her wince painfully. Green eyes opened again in confusion, and the young girl frowned deeply when she discovered all those bandages on her body.

"Good morning. Are you awake now?" The soothing Kyoto accent made the injured girl turn her head. A beautiful young woman with flowing chestnut hair and a pair of warm russet eyes was sitting on a chair beside the bed. She was wearing a lilac dress that resembled some kind of maid uniform and was holding a teacup in her hands.

_Ah, the ever tea-sipping Shizuru. _"Shizuru..." The raven-haired girl paused for a few seconds before her green eyes widened. All the memories of the ambush came rushing back to her. "Man, my bike! I can't believe I fell for that same trick twice. They..."

The younger girl quickly sat up from the bed and grabbed the older girl's wrist. "Oh no, Shizuru, we have to warn everyone. I am sure those men are Searrs' private army, those bastards are after us HiMEs again!"

"Don't get so worked up, you don't want to move around too much. You were hurt pretty badly, you know." The Kyoto girl gently pushed the other girl back to the bed. "You have a broken arm and a couple fractured ribs, not to mention all the nasty cuts and bruises. The concussion kept you unconscious for days, I was really worried."

Natsuki laughed dryly. "No wonder I feel like I was hit by a train."

The older girl smiled fondly at the pouting girl. _So alike._ "Would you like some breakfast? I bet you are hungry. You've been sleeping for so long."

"Um. Thank you, Shizuru." Natsuki's expression softened when she looked into the other girl's beautiful red eyes. "I am truly grateful, and I think you need to know that. Not just for taking care of me, but for everything, for being my friend."

"... You are welcome."

For some reason, Natsuki detected a hint of sadness in the Kyoto girl's reply. _Did I say something wrong?_ "By the way..." The injured girl looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

They were in a cottage style bedroom with weathered white beadboard walls. There were a couple comfortable-looking wicker lounge chairs in the corner of the room, and she was currently sitting on a queen size bed with a wrought iron frame and white cotton sheets. On the left side of the room was a huge window, revealing an astonishing ocean view. A pretty glass wind chime was hung on the wooden window frame, tinkling pleasantly every time a lazy summer breeze blew by.

"I think this is someone's summer house. The owner is not home though." The Kyoto girl giggled. "I thought this would be a nice place for you to recover, so I kind of barged in."

"You did what?" the raven-haired girl gasped, her green eyes opened as wide as they could.

"I had no choice. We needed a place to hide," the older girl said matter-of-factly.

Natsuki shook her head and grinned at the other girl. "You are really something, Shizuru."

The smile on the taller girl faded. She looked at the raven-haired girl with much sympathy. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. But you see, I am not the person you thought me to be."

"Sh... Shizuru?"

"My name is Viola."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.


	4. Project Garderobe

Chapter 4: Project Garderobe

"My name is Viola."

Natsuki shot the other girl a weird look. "I did hit my head, but I didn't hit my head THAT hard. Stop messing with me."

The girl continued, her warm crimson eyes hiding no trace of deceit, "... Viola Searrs."

"Shizuru!" Natsuki growled. "That's not funny at all. Cut it out."

"You two are just as stubborn," she sighed. "It seems that I have no choice but to show you." The Kyoto girl stood up from the chair and moved to the centre of the room. "Don't blink."

Gracefully, she brought her left hand up and flicked aside her thick chestnut hair, revealing a single Amethyst gem-set earring on her earlobe.

"Materialize."

* * *

"Who are those little girls in pain

Just trapped in castle of dark side of moon

Twelve of them shining bright in vain

Like flowers that blossom just once in years

They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love

Just dreaming of a place where they're free as dove

They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage

It's only the fairy tale they believe"

Inside a small church located on the edge of Fuuka Academy, ten-year-old Alyssa Searrs sang her favourite song to her beloved guardian, Miyu Greer. The aqua-haired android sat quietly in front of the Golden Angel, gazing intensely at her ojou-sama with the gentlest expression on her face.

The song ended, and Miyu applauded and let the child climb onto her lap. "How was it?" the blond child asked, looking quite eager to be praised.

"Ojou-sama's singing voice is beautiful, like water flowing in a stream, so gentle and clear."

The child seemed pleased by the reply. She curled up on the android's lap and closed her eyes. "Miyu, you really like Alyssa's song, don't you?"

"Yes, I like ojou-sama's song very much, but I like ojou-sama even more." Miyu petted her ojou-sama's head tenderly, fascinated by the smoothness of the golden tress between her fingers.

Himeno Fumi, the new director of Fuuka Academy and former HiME, had graciously taken them in when they had nowhere to go after the Carnival. Searrs had abandoned them because they were considered a couple of failures. The Foundation had no more use for a powerless artificial Valkyrie, and it was too much trouble to recover an outdated android. They didn't want to waste their resources on the android and the girl. They had better things to do.

The church's heavy doors opened with a soft squeak. Alyssa sat up straight and jumped down from her aqua-haired guardian's lap.

"Ara, hope we didn't interrupt anything important." Said one of the two new comers.

The android stared at the chestnut-haired intruder and said with a flat voice, "Not really."

"See? I told you it's not a good idea to come here at this time. They hate to be bothered when they are off in their own world," Nao complained to the former kaichou, who was either oblivious of the situation or just didn't care what she interrupted... although the redhead's suspicion fell heavily on the second one.

"Fujino Shizuru-san, is there something you need?" the blond child asked, her expression too mature for a ten-year-old.

Shizuru smiled charmingly and answered. "Why yes, there is. I need to know what Searrs is planning, specifically regarding us HiMEs."

Alyssa was not expecting this. "What makes you think I would know about that? Besides, I don't see why I should disclose this kind of information to you."

"You and your friend here used to work for Searrs, it's only natural to assume that you would know more about Searrs than anyone else. And as for why..." Shizuru gave the child's overprotective guardian a sideways glance and continued. "Searrs is on the move again. A few days ago a HiME was attacked and most likely captured. A fake one or not, you did have HiME power. So if they are targeting HiMEs again, don't you think it's wise to be prepared?"

The child and her guardian exchanged a worried look. They were painfully aware what Searrs would do to 'failures' like them. If Searrs were really plotting something, they better find out before it's too late.

"I see. Very well, we'll try to find out what they are up to. But we will need some time, and we can't promise anything." Alyssa paused for a second and continued. "Who's the one who got attacked?"

Shizuru's crimson eyes darkened with restrained rage. "They've got Natsuki..."

"Hold on. We've got company." Miyu gestured everyone to be quiet, and her left arm transformed into a blade. "Found it." The android sprang forward and struck through a large stained-glass window. Broken glass of every colour came raining down on the person hiding behind it.

Kruger only managed to narrowly dodge the android's lethal strike, but she got caught up in the raining shards of broken glasses.

"Materialize!" She saw the second strike coming, but was too late to dodge it again. The only thing she could do was to materialize her robe and hope the blade wouldn't connect before that.

Shizuru'z heart almost jumped out her throat when she saw the raven-haired girl's face. "Natsu..." But then the brilliant blue light on the girl's earring and the following transformation sequence rendered her speechless. That girl was most definitely not Natsuki.

Miyu frowned slightly as her sword arm collided with a force field. Kruger panted heavily and lowered her crossed arms, resuming an attack stance. She glared at the aqua-haired android and growled. "You are not human."

"And you are not Kuga Natsuki," Alyssa stated calmly. "Miyu, capture her. I have questions to ask."

"Yes, Ojou-sama."

Shizuru had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from calling out to the raven-haired girl. _No matter how much she looks like my Natsuki, she is not my Natsuki. This girl might be the only clue we have. I can't feel sorry for her, we need to capture her._

The android attacked again, but this time Kruger was prepared. The ribbons on her back extended and targeted her opponent's torso. Miyu leaned to her side and dodged them with ease. "Give up now." She charged forward and struck Kruger with her sword arm.

Kruger flipped backward and blocked the blade with a solid kick. Her extended ribbons wrapped around the android's ankles and rudely pulled her off-balance.

"That girl is good. She is on-par in melee combat with THAT Miyu." Nao bit her thumbnail nervously. Shizuru, however, felt strangely proud of the raven-haired girl, even though she clearly knew that the girl was not Natsuki.

The blond child was mildly annoyed. "Miyu, use artillery."

"Yes, Ojou-sama." The android obeyed. "Unlock all high-speed memory. Gatling Stanley, ready. Mithril Robe, Mode: Scarlet." The vicious sword arm transformed into a four-barrel gatling gun, and the sleeveless robe she was wearing changed from blue to scarlet.

_Oh, crap._ Kruger put up her arms and erected a force field one moment too late when the first round of bullets grazed her left shoulder. Her robe absorbed most of the damage, but it still hurt like hell.

"Don't hurt her!" Shizuru couldn't hold back a scream when she saw the face looking so much like her beloved Natsuki grimaced in pain.

Shizuru's demand had no effect on Miyu whatsoever, but it did earned her a puzzled look from the blond child.

"You are a strange one, Fujino-san. That person is not Kuga Natsuki, so why are you so concerned?" Alyssa fixed her baby blue eyes back on the duelling pair. "Sympathizing with the enemy makes you weak."

"I know that. I know that, but..." The older girl sighed. "Emotion has nothing to do with logic."

_Damn you psycho fembot!_ Kruger twisted her body midair and narrowly avoided another hail of bullets, but she got nailed by the android's lightning fast high kick right in the stomach. The force of the kick sent her flying upward, and she was only stopped by the church's month-old new roof. Kruger coughed as every known expletive ran through her head.

"Give up now. You cannot win." The android aimed her gatling gun at Kruger, who had landed poorly back on the ground with a loud thump and was doubling over to recover from the damage. Miyu's monotonous voice only angered the raven-haired girl more. _Maybe I should summon my element... No, it takes time to charge it. Time? CRAP!_

In the heat of the battle, Kruger had completely forgotten about the time constraint. One minute had long passed. _I need to get away! Searrs has found me! How can I get out of here? _Panicking, her green eyes came into contact with concerned russet eyes, an idea started forming inside her head.

She straightened her body and grinned at the android. "You are pretty good for a fembot, but you are not good enough." The ribbons on her back extended into long blades, slicing through the church's stone and concrete structure like butter.

"Ojou-sama!" Miyu dashed toward the surprised blond child and carried her out of the crumbling church.

"Crazy bitch!" Nao shrieked and ran for her dear life.

Shizuru, however, had this overwhelming urge to laugh as she stood in front of the huge pile of rubble that was once a church.

Kruger had escaped.

* * *

Natsuki stared with her mouth hanging open. The amethyst on the chestnut-haired girl's earring shone brilliantly. Golden light appeared around her wrists, ankles, shoulders, collar, and waist, solidified into a layer of metallic armour. A dark purple robe of some sort phased into existence, hugging her curves perfectly, replacing the lilac dress she was wearing faster than the blink of an eye. 

"Hi... HiME power? No, it's not... Impossible... but... HiME star was... The Carnival..." Natsuki stuttered, too shocked to form a coherent sentence.

Viola smiled and released her materialization, and the robe phased out into nothingness. "My name is Viola Searrs, I am an Otome from Searrs' Project Garderobe. Do you believe me now?"

The raven-haired girl was still in shock. "But you look... you look..."

"Exactly like her?" Viola suggested.

"Exactly like... YOU WORK FOR SEARRS!" Natsuki bit back a painful yelp and jumped out of the bed, trying her best to ignore the blinding pain claiming every part of her injured body. She scanned the room for an escape route, but the window facing the ocean seemed like the only option. _The window is about one meter from where I am, I think I can manage to jump out of it... Damn, I have no idea how far I'll drop. With these injuries... Damn it!_

Viola frowned slightly. "I wouldn't recommend you doing that. You are injured."

As the Shizuru look-alike approached step by step, Natsuki panicked. She jumped head-first out of the window, expecting to hit the ground hard. _I have to get out of here._ But Viola's nano-enhanced body was faster. Even before Natsuki could completely jump out of the window, Viola had already gained a firm hold on the younger girl's waist.

"LET ME GO!" Natsuki screamed as the taller girl wrestled her back to the queen size bed. She flailed her arms and legs wildly around, struggling futilely against the stronger girl, who was sitting quite comfortably on top of her with an arrogant smirk on her face.

"You know, you can keep this up, and I wouldn't mind the least," the chestnut-haired girl leaned forward and whispered seductively, blowing hot breath on the younger girl's ear. Natsuki's cheeks instantly burned bright red from both anger and the close proximity._Damn it, that face..._

Natsuki growled in frustration. Apparently Viola had decent martial arts training and knew how to properly restrain her opponent, otherwise Natsuki would have broken loose. It was times like this she wished she had continued her judo lessons. After another five minutes of futile attempts, Natsuki was finally out of stamina and was panting hard for air.

"Have you calmed down?" Viola looked down on the girl underneath her, who was glaring back with much hostility. "Before you really hurt yourself, would you please listen to me?"

"What do you want?" Natsuki groaned through gritted teeth; the loss of stamina was making her dizzy.

"I am from Searrs, but I don't work for Searrs. In fact, I am running away from them."

"Running... away from them?" Natsuki seemed confused.

Viola nodded at the raven-haired girl. "If I were working for Searrs, then why would I save you from them in the first place?"

Thinking back to the night of the ambush, Natsuki was beginning to believe the older girl. "So... You saved me."

A sly grin broadened across the Kyoto girl's delicate face upon hearing Natsuki's reply. "Yes, I sure did. Now how would you like to thank me?" Shizuru asked with a suggestive wink.

Natsuki's cheeks turned beet red. _This girl is definitely NOT Shizuru, but she resembles Shizuru in every way possible._ "Get off me already," she grunted. "You are heavy."

"Hmph... But I kinda like it here..."

"Kyaa! Where do you think you are groping!"

Unexpectedly, the bedroom door swung open. Both girls on the bed froze and instinctively turned their heads toward the direction of the door.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

TBC

* * *

Author Notes: 

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.

4. Insert Song: "It's only the Fairy Tale"

Performer: Miyamura Yuuko

Composer: Yuki Kajiura


	5. Unlucky

Chapter 5: Unlucky

Suzushiro Haruka had always respected (and secretly admired, although she would never admit it) Fujino Shizuru almost as zealously as she disliked the tea-sipping Kyoto beauty.

But one day, her respect for the calm and graceful kaichou was obliterated.

She didn't mean to peep, really, but she saw it. The almighty kaichou of Fuuka Academy took advantage of her best friend Kuga Natsuki, who at the time of the event, was deep in sleep and unaware of what happened to her.

For someone who believed so strongly in friendship, order, and discipline, what the kaichou did was unforgivable. Fujino Shizuru was a coward and a liar. _If you love someone, you wouldn't hurt them,_she thought. _It's disgusting to use friendship as a front and then use your friend to satisfy your lust. Feeling your best friend up when she was asleep? Disgusting._

_At least do it with her consent, damn it._

Sitting in the passenger seat of a grass green two-door Beetle, Yukino looked outside the car window and asked curiously, "Haruka-chan, where are we going today?"

Haruka gave her best friend a toothy grin and replied, "It's a surprise. I've got the whole thing planned, you'll know when we got there."

_In your face, Fujino. I am so going to beat you this time. Because I am Suzushiro Haruka, I won't lose to the likes of you._

Haruka's nicely laid-out plan for the trip was ruined when she opened the bedroom door in her vacation house. They did get the surprise of their lives though.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Haruka's eyes popped out their sockets when she saw the two people in her room. Fujino Shizuru, or so she thought, was straddling Kuga Natsuki on her bed. The shameless bubuzuke-onna had pinned the other girl down with one hand over her head, and the other right on top of her breasts. The poor girl on the bottom was wearing practically nothing except her underwear and some heavy bandages.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING IN MY HOUSE, IN MY ROOM, ON MY BED?" The blond was livid with rage. She tackled the chestnut-haired girl so hard, they were both knocked over on the floor.

Yukino hurried to Natsuki's side and examined her injuries. "Haruka-chan, Kuga-san is badly hurt!" she choked; her dark green eyes were filled with tears. "We should get you to a hospital. Hold on a little longer, we won't let her hurt you again."

"Wait a second. This is a misunderstanding." Natsuki tried to explain, but no one was listening.

"Don't be afraid, we will protect you. This violent beast will never lay another finger on you," Haruka reassured the injured girl and tightened her choke hold on the "violent beast".

"You got it wrong, she didn't..."

Yukino gave Natsuki a sympathetic hug. "There is nothing to be ashamed about - having an abusive girlfriend is not your fault."

Natsuki rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of the friendly embrace. "As I said, she didn't hurt me, and I am NOT her girlfriend. Will you people ever listen? And you, say something." She glared at the Kyoto girl, who despite being pinned down in a choke hold by the hot-headed blond, had been quietly listening to the whole thing with an amused grin on her face.

"So this is your house. Lovely place." Viola smiled charmingly at the blonde on top of her. Haruka, however, replied with a enraged hiss and a murderous glare.

"YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" Natsuki snapped.

"Ara, you told me to say something."

Natsuki felt her vein popping and decided to take things into her own hands. "Oh, just shut up. Now will someone PLEASE get me a phone?"

* * *

Kruger headed straight for the mountain at the edge of the Fuuka Academy once she flew out of the church. Searrs could only trace her when she had her robe on, so she was planning to use this fact to her advantage and lure Searrs' army into the mountain. After doing that, she would release her robe and then sneak back to where her bike was. Those boy scouts could spend days searching for her ghost in the woods, but she would be long gone by then.

She landed in a clearing in the middle of the forest and released her robe. The fight against the android had cost her quite a bit of stamina. She was hungry and sore all over. Ever since she'd escaped from Searrs' secret laboratory, she had been keeping a low profile. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she had a decent meal and a good night's sleep.

Kruger let out a soft sigh. A decent meal and a good night's sleep sure sounded nice, but what she missed the most was Viola. Sometimes, she even doubted that busting out of the lab had been a huge mistake. Since while she was treated as a mere lab rat, she always had the one she loved by her side. Now look at this. She was finally free, but at what cost? Was freedom really worth that much? She was sick of being alone and constantly hunted.

Maybe that's why she was tailing the Viola look-alike; she was desperate. She wanted to see Viola so much, that just looking at a doppelganger's face was enough to bring her some solace. _Pathetic._

Those slight stings on her limbs caught her attention, breaking her from her own thoughts. The moping Otome checked the sources of her discomfort and saw numerous small cuts on her arms and legs. _Great. I am hungry and tired and filthy, plus my clothes are shredded. Just great. Can this day get any worse?_

* * *

"Ara, ara. This place really had some bad luck." Shizuru stood in front of the collapsed church with an empty smile on her face.

This was where she fought Natsuki near the end of the Carnival. They fought, they cried, they kissed, and they died in each other's arms. After they were revived, she had begged for her ice HiME's forgiveness and the request was promptly granted, although Shizuru had never really forgiven herself.

How could she? She had violated her best friend's trust, and then went on a homicidal killing spree. She even tried to KILL Natsuki, all in the name of love. _This is not love. This is a twisted obsession. If I really, really love her, then I should let her go._

She tried to, but it was so hard. She finally understood why Kiyohime chose to be her Child - it's because their natures were the same. She was a snake, a born killer that strangled its prey and then devoured it whole... Just like how her love had slowly choked the life out of the one she loved the most. Natsuki didn't want a lover; she wanted a friend. So that's what she should be - she would be - a friend, and nothing more.

She would do that for her, even though it was completely against her possessive nature, even though it was killing her.

So she stopped touching Natsuki. She used to grope the younger girl every chance she got, but now she knew better. _Friends don't grope each other this way._ She even went as far as to refuse to hitch a ride on Natsuki's bike. _If I touch her, my resolve will definitely crumble. _

Her efforts had not gone wasted though. Their awkward relationship after the Carnival had improved gradually over the past few months. Natsuki was more relaxed around her. Now everything seemed to have gone back to normal.

As normal as it could be.

Define normal. If normal meant tiptoeing around the girl she loved with her heart and soul, then yes, everything was normal. At least she would never again see Natsuki shrinking in fear of her touch.

"Sailor Kruger had fled. What should we do now, O Great Queen Alyssa-sama?" Nao mocked and then paused to snicker at her own joke. Alyssa narrowed her eyes slightly at the redhead's remark, but refrained to comment on that.

"Play nice, Yuuki-san." Shizuru turned to the child. "Alyssa-chan, I trust you would start digging into Searrs' database for the information I asked?"

Alyssa nodded but frowned at the collapsed church. "There is a slight problem. All the equipment is down there, in the basement."

Miyu put the child down and activated her drill arm. "Leave it to me, Ojou-sama. I will clear a path." The android then proceeded to her work.

"Hmph. How convenient. Just like Doraemon..." The redhead swallowed the rest of the sentence when she met Alyssa's angry blue eyes.

"Alyssa-chan, you are too scary for a ten-year-old. Cute little girls like you should try to smile more," Shizuru said with a serene smile._Strange. I didn't notice that before but this child's angry face looks so much like Natsuki's._ Shizuru shook her head lightly to dismiss that thought. _I must miss Natsuki too much. Silly me._

While the former kaichou was deep in her thought, her cellphone rang. "Hello?" Shizuru answered.

"It's me," the most familiar voice came through the phone. Shizuru gasped.

"Natsuki!"

* * *

Natsuki had to pull the receiver away from her ear to prevent her eardrums from exploding.

"Are you all right? What happened to you? Where have you been? Where are you now?" Shizuru's urgent voice came through the phone loud and clear.

Natsuki nodded, even though she couldn't see Shizuru over the phone. "I'm all right, just had some trouble with Searrs' men. I was careless. As to where I am now..." Natsuki moved the receiver toward an apparently baffled Haruka. "Tell her the address." The blonde did as she told, and Natsuki pulled the receiver back. "Did you get that?"

"I got it, but... Was that Suzushiro-san? What's going on?" Shizuru sounded very confused.

Natsuki glanced at the Shizuru double, who was still subdued by the ill-tempered blonde, and chuckled. "It's kinda hard to explain over the phone, but I'm sure you'll understand once you see it with your own eyes."

"But you are coming home, right?"

Natsuki felt a pang of guilt for making her best friend so worried. She really wanted to hide her unsightly condition from Shizuru, knowing how much it would upset her if she saw it. "I'm sorry, I can't come home yet, but I'll do that as soon as possible."

"What do you mean you can't... You are hurt! Natsuki, tell me. Are you injured? Don't lie to me!"

_Too late. She's mad at me already._ Natsuki cringed when she heard the other girl's upset voice. "Just a little scratch. It will heal in no time," she lied.

"Liar!" Shizuru accused.

"Really, it's nothing serious." _If not counting a head trauma, a few cracked ribs, and a broken arm,_ she added in her mind. "I feel completely fine."

"I'm coming over," the former kaichou insisted.

Natsuki let out a sigh, knowing that there was no way in hell to stop the other girl from doing so. "Alright. If you must, see you later."

Natsuki hung up the phone and passed it wordlessly to a confused Yukino.

"Will you explain to me what's going on here? What was that phone call about?" Haruka demanded.

The injured girl grinned. "I called Shizuru. She said she is coming over."

"You called... Fujino is right here..." Haruka turned to scrutinize the chestnut-haired girl underneath her, but was a hundred percent sure that the girl was indeed the Fujino Shizuru she knew.

Yukino nodded her head, a grave expression on her face. "I see, memory loss due to head trauma, poor girl."

Natsuki snorted but quickly put her hand up to conceal her mirth. _This is going to be so much fun._

* * *

"Report."

"Yes, sir. Z-type subject K was found in Fuuka's territory. Ready to move in, sir."

"This is a waste of time. Send in reinforcements from C-type."

"But, sir, C-type is still..."

"Are you questioning my order?"

"No, sir."

"It's about time for C-type to get a proper field test. Don't you think?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Ne, Onii-chan, are we there yet?" A teenage girl with four obnoxiously pink and curly pigtails whined loudly, her arms latching almost painfully tight on a sandy-haired young man.

"We are almost there. And stop asking every ten seconds, Shiho," said Tate Yuuichi, who was sweating like a pig under the summer blaze. The almost nonexistent hiking trail in the uneven mountain terrain was not helping at all. "By the way, can't you walk on your own? You are heavy..." A fist connected with his jaw and interrupted the rest of his ranting.

"Shiho is not heavy! Onii-chan is so mean!" The girl continued her merciless assault with her light but surprisingly painful jabs, beating the man senseless.

"Ah, the burning youth. How I envy your close relationship. If only Kuga-san would accept my burning heart..." Takeda Masashi sighed deeply. The captain of Fuuka Academy's Kendo Club had no way of knowing that his unrequited love was doomed since the beginning.

Their Kendo Club had planned a special training session for this summer. Originally it was a seven days, six nights training camp for Kendo Club members only, but Shiho was throwing a hurricane level tantrum, so at the end they gave in and allowed the girl to stick around and act as their 'club manager'.

The arrangement was all right for a few days, and then they found out that they had run out of food in the middle of the mountain. As the club manager, Shiho volunteered for grocery shopping but requested Tate to come with her as her muscle guy. Tate, although with his manly sideburns and all, had no sense of direction. Him dragging along the captain for the trip turned out to be no help at all.

They were lost. Very.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.


	6. Embrace

Chapter 6: Embrace

Kruger took off the last piece of fabric on her, which happened to be an expensive-looking semi-transparent lacy purple panty, and tossed it on top of the rest of her clothes pile. Taking a deep breath, she leapt into a mountain stream and squealed as the cold water splashed onto her warm skin.

The raven-haired girl dived under the water for several seconds, and then resurfaced with a soft gasp. _Oh, I really needed this._ She brushed away the wet hair plastered on her face and started washing her dirt-covered body, humming to herself while picking out tiny glass shards that got stuck in her wounds. Those were not particularly painful, but rather itchy and annoying. She felt so much better after she got the last one out.

* * *

Takeda paused and listened. At first he thought it was only his own imagination, but then the sounds he heard only got louder. He tapped Tate's shoulder to get his attention and asked, "Did you hear that?"

Tate strained his ears and agreed after a few seconds, "Yeah, I heard it too. It sounded like water, and I think I also heard someone singing."

Shiho clung onto her onii-chan tightly, almost enough to cut off his arm's circulation, and whined, "Shiho hates scary stuff."

The kendo ace grinned at the pink-haired girl, showing off his glinting white set of teeth. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. So don't be scared, Shiho."

Tate also assured the frightened young girl. "We will both ensure your safety. Oh, and Tate, I think we should take a closer look. It sounded like a girl, so maybe she needs some help, you know, she might be lost."

"Good idea."

They headed toward the direction of the singing voice. Before long, they had reached a clearing and found themselves staring at the backside of someone standing half-immersed in the middle of the stream. It was a girl with a long, flowing, dark blue mane, who was singing and dancing to the beats.

Completely naked.

"Stalked in the forest, too close to hide. I'll be upon you by the moonlight side. Do do do do do do do...KYAAAAA!!!"

"ONII-CHAN DON'T LOOK!" Shiho headbutted Tate in the chin and knocked him over, covering his eyes with both her hands.

"Ku... Ku... IAMSOSORRYIDIDNOTSEEANYTHING!" Takeda turned her face away from the naked girl so fast, his neck almost snapped.

"MATERIALIZE!" The enraged Otome screamed and charged, pummelling her fists into the kendo captain's stomach repeatedly, sending the guy flying on a collision course with at least a dozen trees. After beating one of the perverts into a bloody pulp, Kruger turned and proceeded to deal with the remaining two.

Shiho almost pissed herself when Kruger's lips curled into a bloodthirsty sneer. "P...p...please, Ku... Kuga-sama, forgive us." The Otome replied simply by picking up the sideburn-boy by his shirt and smashing his skull against his buddy's, knocking both of them unconscious instantly.

Satisfied with her work, Kruger turned and set her icy green glare on the only person left. Shiho fell on her hands and knees, too scared to even move a muscle. Her tear-filled eyes widened in horror as the raven-haired demon incarnate stared down at her, ready to crush her like an ant.

"You saw nothing. Is that clear?"

Shiho nodded her head and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the bone-crushing blow that was sure to come... Except that it never came. Puzzled, the pink-haired girl finally summoned enough courage to open her eyes and looked around, but her would-be attacker was nowhere to be found. "I thought I was gonna die..." She let out a long, trembling sigh but only shot her head up in alarm again.

"Ah! Onii-chan!"

* * *

Natsuki had thought about how Haruka and Yukino would react when the real Shizuru showed up, and all the possible scenarios made her giddy. But what she was really dying to see was Shizuru's reaction to her own double. Would the graceful former kaichou lose her usual composure?

The mental image of Shizuru freaking out and screaming "nandeyanen" like an Osaka comedian sent the injured girl reeling in a fit of insane laughter.

Haruka and Yukino exchanged a worried look, both thinking the same thing:_The poor girl has lost her mind._

Natsuki's mad laughter, however, died down abruptly as she slumped forward and grimaced in pain. _Note to self: no laughing until those damn ribs heal._ She cradled her side with her good arm and let out a long, ragged breath. _If I do that again, my side will split, literally._

Yukino put a hand on Natsuki's shoulder and said encouragingly, "Kuga-san, don't worry, everything will be all right. We'll take you to a hospital..."

Natsuki shook her head, interrupting the concerned girl. "No. I'm fine. Just had too much fun."

"But you are clearly in pain and confused..."

"I'm fine."

Yukino knew how to deal with a stubborn Haruka, but she had no idea how to deal with a stubborn Natsuki. She gave Haruka a pleading look, silently asking for her friend's help, but the blonde had other things in mind.

"What'cha looking at me for? If she is stupid enough not wanting your help, then just leave her alone. More importantly, can you find me some rope? I can't sit on top of this bubuzuke-onna all day."

"Ara, I don't really mind..." Viola mused.

"You shut up, Fujino." The former Executive Director barked at the Kyoto girl. Natsuki could feel another wave of giddiness brewing in her chest. If this Shizuru double were anything like the Shizuru she knew, then she would bet her precious lingerie collection that this wicked woman was actually enjoying having Suzushiro on top of her.

Yukino was torn between staying by the injured girl's side and finding a rope as she was told, but the sound of the doorbell helped her make up her mind. "I'll go get the door first."

_Shizuru is here already? That's fast._ Natsuki watched Yukino get out of the room, and a few seconds later, she heard the girl scream. _So it's started._

"Yukino?" Haruka let go of Viola and stood up. Before she even got out of the room, Yukino had busted through the door and grabbed the blonde's shoulders. "Ka... ka... kai..."

"Calm down, I can't understand you."

A soft Kyoto-accented voice answered. "I believe she is trying to tell you that 'kaichou-san is here.'"

"I know you are here... Heh? EEEEEEK!!!" Haruka's purple eyes bulged to the size of tennis balls as she saw the person walking into the room; the flowing chestnut hair, the delicate face, the crimson eyes, the graceful and elegant air that always seemed to hang around like roses to yaoi lovers and lilies to yuri lovers in manga – it was none other than Fujino Shizuru.

"There are two of them..." The blonde pinched herself, but the pain told her that she was not dreaming.

Shizuru walked straight toward Natsuki, merely giving her own double a polite nod. She stood beside the bed and stared into the injured girl's guilty green eyes, her own crimson ones narrowed in unspoken rage.

"So, 'a little scratch' you said?"

Natsuki averted her friend's probing gaze. "Well, there are some scratches..."

"Actually, there was a broken arm, three cracked ribs, thirty five cuts and bruises. I counted. By the way, the head trauma was rather nasty and it kept her unconscious for three and a half days." Viola added.

Natsuki gave the nosy girl her best death glare, but it had absolutely no effect on her.

Shizuru closed her eyes and took in a controlled breath. "I assume you are the one who saved her? Thank you."

Viola looked at her own double and smiled. "You are welcome."

"What the hell?" Natsuki was very disappointed. "You two are not normal! Look at Suzushiro and Kikukawa, look at how surprised they are, that's a normal reaction. You don't just exchange pleasantries when you see your own double, you scream!"

"Ara, does Natsuki want me to scream?" asked Shizuru. For some reason, Natsuki blushed when she heard that.

"I was hoping you would at least say something like 'nandeyanen'." Natsuki mumbled.

Shizuru raised her eyebrows and exchanged a look with Viola. "Nandeyanen," both girls said that at the same time and hit each other's shoulders with the back of their hands.

The room was silent for a moment, and then Natsuki burst into laughter. Her broken ribs were killing her, but she just couldn't stop at all. It was so painful that she couldn't sit still. She curled up in the fetal position, tears streaming down her face, but laughing like a madman. "So... HAHAHA... painful... HAHAHA..."

"Natsuki..." Shizuru leaned in, wanting so much to touch the girl she loved, but stopped half way.

Viola noticed the girl's odd behaviour and frowned slightly. She turned to the still petrified pair and gently urged them out of the room. "They need some privacy. It's our cue to leave."

"Oi, oi. This is MY house..." the blonde protested. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" Haruka was annoyed and was ready to throw another tantrum, but the soft and warm body between her own arms got her attention. She looked down and saw the top of her best friend's head. Earlier when she was surprised (more like ambushed) by the arrival of the real Fujino, she had grabbed onto Yukino's waist and held the girl in a tight embrace.

She could feel heat creeping up on her face. Haruka cleared her throat and said, "I guess it's alright to give them some space. We are leaving, Yukino."

The timid brown-haired girl didn't look up, she just nodded, apparently as embarrassed by the situation as her blonde friend.

Viola was about to follow them out of the room, but Shizuru called her. "Viola, right?"

The Otome froze and turned to stare at the HiME. "I don't think I've told you my name yet, Shizuru-han."

Shizuru smiled. "I heard it from a cute girl named Kruger. She's a feisty one."

"Do you know where my Kruger is now?"

Shizuru recognized that look in Viola's eyes; it was called 'hope', something she had lost a long time ago... She chuckled and answered, "Unfortunately, I have no idea where she is now. But about thirty minutes ago, the girl torn down a church in Fuuka Academy. She should still be around that area."

"I see. Thank you. I must hurry." Viola walked around the bed and opened the window. "Materialize." She transformed into her purple Otome robe and flew out of the window, never looking back.

Natsuki wanted to ask her Shizuru what was going on between her and Viola, but was too distracted to say anything. She had stopped laughing for a while now, but the pain on her side never really went away.

"Natsuki, are you alright? Does it hurt much?" Shizuru squeezed her hands together so tightly that all her knuckles turned white.

"I'm fine. Shizuru, have you thought about pursuing a career as comedian? 'Cause you are so damn funny." She brought her hand down to her heavily bandaged torso. _I think I might have pulled something. The pain is getting worse._ "You really crack me up."

Shizuru didn't buy it. She knew all too well that the girl was trying to hide her pain. "You are not fine, Natsuki. I'll call Youko-sensei and ask her to take a look at that. But before that, I'll get you some painkillers first. Alright?"

Knowing she couldn't fool her best friend, Natsuki nodded and apologized. "Sorry, Shizuru. I don't mean to make you worry."

"I understand. I'll be right back."

Shizuru left the room briefly and came back with two pills and a glass of water. Natsuki murmured a low "thanks" before she popped the pills and drank from the glass.

"It would take a while for the medicine to come in effect, so you should probably lie down." Shizuru took the empty glass from the injured girl's hand and put it on the nightstand.

"Shizuru." Natsuki suddenly grabbed the older girl's hand and pulled her closer. "What is that?" She frowned deeply at the ugly bruises on Shizuru's wrists. "How did you get hurt?"

The Kyoto girl quickly pulled her hand back from her friend's grip. "Nothing. I was just careless."

_She's lying._ Natsuki stared into Shizuru's calm, crimson eyes, searching for signs of her deception. There was nothing. She could hardly tell Shizuru was lying from her complacent face. "Why are you trying to hide them from me? Is that why you are wearing a long sleeve blouse in this weather? Let me see your wrist."

"Ara, is Natsuki trying to see my body? Natsuki… Ecchi."

"It won't work, Shizuru. Now let me see your wrist. Don't make me come over there." Natsuki didn't even blush at Shizuru's teasing remark because she knew that her friend was only trying to change the subject.

Shizuru stared back into Natsuki's steely green eyes; she understood that the younger girl meant every word, but she was not willing to do as she told. "Didn't I tell you? I was just careless. Natsuki should pay more attention to her own body."

Natsuki tried to grab the older girl's hand again, but this time Shizuru was prepared and she tucked both her hands behind her back just in time. The raven-haired girl smirked and grabbed the front of her friend's white blouse instead. Not expecting to get caught and with both her hands behind her back, Shizuru couldn't brace herself for when Natsuki pulled her down. She landed on top of the girl with a surprised yelp.

"Got you." Natsuki didn't even grunt when her friend's weight dropped painfully on her injured body. It really hurt, but at the same time oddly fulfilling. She latched her good arm securely around Shizuru's waist and grinned. "Now you can't go anywhere."

_Funny. That's the exact same thing I told her._

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around the body underneath her, and embraced the girl she loved for the first time in months.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. To new readers who just found this story: thank you for reading this. Please review if you have time, I would really appreciate it.

2. To readers who have been following this story: thank you for sticking with me. I've been meaning to go back and fix my early chapters, and please forgive me for taking so long.

3. Thank you so much, Dr. Leebot! You're an awesome beta. XD.

4. Kruger was singing Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf." I watched the MTV from YouTube, and I was listening to the song the whole time while I was writing this chapter. I have to say the song is rather catchy.

5. I have nothing against the male species in general, but I've been aching to give Tate and Takeda a good beating.

6. Oh, btw, "nandeyanen" (******なんでやねん**) is Osaka-ben for "what the hell?" If you've watched Azumanga Daioh before, you would understand what I mean.


	7. Friend

Chapter 7: Friend

* * *

For a moment there, she had completely forgotten about the reason why she pulled the other girl down in the first place. But when she finally remembered, she found herself not really wanting to do anything other than simply lie there. Natsuki closed her eyes when she felt Shizuru's arms circled around her body, and her mind went blank again.

Without thinking, she tilted her head and nuzzled the other girl's neck before letting out a content sigh. Maybe it's the drug kicking in, maybe it's just her, but the splitting pain on her side started to fade. _This is nice._ Natsuki thought, rubbing the smooth curve that was Shizuru's back with her thumb absent-mindedly. The body on top of her shivered, and then she felt the warm breaths that were tickling the side of her neck quickened.

She only stopped when she felt warm liquid rolling down her bare shoulder. "Shizuru?" Natsuki snapped open her eyes and tried to turn her head to get a better look at her friend's face, but Shizuru wouldn't let her. "Are you crying?"

"No I'm not."

"Right." Natsuki rolled her eyes and moved her hand up to brush the crying girl's chestnut tress. "You are not crying and I don't like Mayo. Seriously, Shizuru, tell me what's upsetting you."

Shizuru still wouldn't answer, she didn't know how. It was too complicated to describe it in words. All those emotions raging inside her, they just overwhelmed her and spilled over as tears. She thought she could contain them, she always had, she was trained to after all.

All it took was one embrace to break her.

Natsuki propped herself up to a sitting position, her friend still clinging desperately onto her heavily bandaged body. She sighed and pushed Shizuru back a little to create some distance between them. "Shizuru." She put her hand on the other girl's tear-stained face and guided her to look up. "Look at me, you know you can tell me anything. Trust me."

Natsuki waited, gazing deeply into the crimson eyes that always seemed to draw her in. Just when she thought the other girl would not tell her anything, Shizuru whispered. "You didn't come."

"I... didn't come? Oh, you were talking about the date, right? I'm really sorry about that. I promise I will make it up to you next time." She apologized wholeheartedly. Even though it was not her fault, it's true that she stood her friend up, so she owed her an apology.

Shizuru's tears didn't stop. "You disappeared on me." She accused. Natsuki sweatdropped. "I'm really sorry about that too. I did try to call, but my phone was smashed, and I was kinda unconscious. Hahaha..." She laughed weakly. Shizuru bit her bottom lip, her body shaking like a leaf as she let out a choked sob. "I thought you were d... dead..."

Natsuki blinked and was lost for words. She had never thought that her disappearance would cause anyone to draw that conclusion. But then again, if not for Viola's timely rescue, without a doubt she would have been captured, or even killed.

Shizuru's quiet sobs had turned to loud sobs plus a series of wet hiccups. Embarrassed to let her friend see her like this, the former kaichou tried to wipe away those tears with the back of her hands, but new tears kept rolling down her flushed cheeks.

"And these?" Natsuki took one of the crying girl's hand and examined the bruises on her wrist. Shizuru didn't pull her hand back this time. "I w... wanted to f... find you, but they w... wouldn't l... let me." She stuttered between hiccups, looking very much like a lost little girl than a graceful Kyoto upperclass woman.

"You are a real fool, Shizuru." Natsuki's expression was one of the gentlest. She caressed the bruised wrist with her thumb and then planted a kiss on it. Shizuru's breath hitched. "I am not worth all that, you know. Don't waste your tears on me."

Having said that, Natsuki placed her hand back to Shizuru's face and caressed it with her fingers. "Your cheeks are all red." She traced the tear lines down to the girl's chin, and then up again to brush the slightly parted lips. Before she realized what she was doing, Natsuki had closed in the little distance between them, and captured her friend's lips with her own.

* * *

"What do you think they are doing right now?" Downstairs in the living room of the seaside cottage, Yukino couldn't help but wonder how things had turned out for the former kaichou and the blue-haired rebel. Despite the unpleasant event took place during the Carnival, she had always been rooting for those two, because she understood perfectly the pain Shizuru must have been suffering through.

The love of her life only wanted to be her friend.

Sometimes she wondered if she could just confess her feelings to Haruka, maybe everything would turn out right, and they would finally have a happy ending of their own. But most of the times, she was overwhelmed by this paralyzing fear of losing what they already shared.

She felt dirty, and should be punished. They did everything together. All those cloth shopping trips, sleep overs, friendly hugs and innocent touches, and baths, oh, the baths they took together, all those precious memories were tainted by her perverted affection. She had no doubt that her best friend would hate her forever if she ever found out.

Not to mention Haruka was homophobic, so basically there was no way in hell for her feelings to be returned.

"They better not be doing weird stuff in there. It's MY room for crying out loud. I can't believe they just kicked me out of my own room. They have absolutely no respect for me, I don't know why I didn't kick THEM out in the first place." The blond was obviously frustrated.

Yukino smiled. _Haruka-chan is adorable when she is like this._ She thought. Haruka narrowed her purple eyes and pouted. "What'cha smiling for? Did I say something wrong again?" The younger girl shook her head. "No. I was just thinking you are a nice person, Haruka-chan."

The blond was a little flattered. "Well, Kuga was injured, so I can't really do anything about her, but Fujino... I don't know. Maybe it's a bad idea leaving those two alone in the same room. Who knows what the bubuzuke pervert would do to the poor girl. That's it, I'm gonna drag her outta there." Haruka stood up from the lounge sofa and headed upstairs. Yukino stopped her.

"Ah, hold on, Haruka-chan. You can't go in there now."

"Why can't I? I'm only trying to prevent a crime from happening." Haruka crossed her arms, looking quite annoyed. Yukino lowered her gaze and fixed it somewhere on the ground. "Kaichou-san is not a horrible person like you thought, Haruka-chan. She had done bad things in the past, but it's not really her fault, She wasn't herself." The glass-wearing girl raised her head, a serious expression on her face.

"I did terrible things too, many that I've never told you about. The Carnival made every HiME go mad. I... I even tried to kill Tokiha-san, and I didn't go through with it only because Mikoto defeated me first, otherwise... Do you hate me now?"

Haruka was outraged by Yukono's question. "Hate you? Never! We are best friends, aren't we? How can I ever hate you?" She grabbed the shorter girl's shoulder and demanded her friend to look her in the eyes. "I am not a HiME like you, so I don't claim that I understand completely what you all went through. But the Yukino I know is the gentlest human being on Earth, that much I am sure."

"How can you be sure? You have no proof of that. Maybe I am just a liar who took your kindness for granted..."

"Because we are friends." Haruka smiled fondly at the younger girl, who was in the brink of tears. "And a friend knows best."

* * *

_She tasted like tears._

So warm, so incredibly soft and smooth, but slightly salty and bitter, that's what Shizuru always tasted like. She wondered why. Trembling hands found their ways to her back, Natsuki snapped open her eyes, suddenly became aware what she was doing do her friend.

_I'm kissing SHIZURU. Ok, ok, don't panic. Kuga Natsuki, you just kissed your best friend, now pull back before you do anymore damage. You only wanted to COMFORT your friend, and you do NOT take advantage of an upset friend, right? Right? You got your point across, so FUCKING PULL BACK THIS INSTANCE!_

The raven-haired girl tilted her head back and torn herself away from her friend's luscious lips. However, her body had a mind of its own, and it's acting up to get what it wanted. Her hand moved to the back of Shizuru' head and squeezed, practically forcing the girl into another kiss.

Too shocked by her own behaviour, Natsuki didn't even close her eyes. Vastly different from the previous friendly kiss, this kiss had nothing friendly about it. With the ferocity of a starved wolf upon its prey, she locked her lips onto Shizuru's and greedily drank in her startled gasps.

Gasps turned to moans as she darted her tongue forward and found its companion. Fingers digging not unpleasantly into her bare shoulders, Natsuki felt something primal raising inside her. She growled and pushed, knocking the other girl over. She fell forward with her friend, her long dark blue hair cascaded down like a silken waterfall, mingling with Shizuru's chestnut hair that's spilling on the white cotton sheet.

_She is beautiful._ Natsuki stared into the seemingly bottomless crimson pits, mesmerized by the way how light and shadow swirled inside those eyes. _How is it possible for a human being to be so beautiful?_ She could hear her own heart thumping crazily inside her chest, her breath became heavy as her gaze fell on the girl's slightly swollen lips.

_Looks delicious..._

"Natsuki..." Shizuru moaned, found it unbearable to have the younger girl looking at her like that. Natsuki licked her own lips and leaned down to taste the girl again.

She had never felt anything like this before. This lost of control, this urge to take something, this insatiable desire to completely possess someone just for herself, it's all foreign to her. It's like a train wreck. Once it's started, it's impossible to make it stop.

_I gave her Aspirin, not Viagra._

Shizuru's half-melted brain bubbled out this thought as the raven-haired sexy beast sucking quite enthusiastically on her tongue. Really, she should have nothing to complain about, but there was this nagging voice in the back of her head, and it's making her uneasy. Unwillingly (very very unwillingly), Shizuru pushed the girl up and broke the kiss. Still breathless from the kiss, she asked in a uncertain voice. "You are really Natsuki, right?"

The raven-haired girl looked dumbfound. "Huh?"

Shizuru asked again. "I mean, you are Kuga Natsuki, not someone else who looks like her, right?"

Natsuki frowned. "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I am. Who else would look like... WHAT THE HELL? There is someone that looks like me out there?" Shizuru nodded. "Yup. Exactly the same. I thought she was you when I first met her."

"This is fucked up. Two copies of us? Next thing we know, we will be overrun by a whole army of HiME doubles." The raven-haired girl shuddered at the thought. "Man, can you imagine? An army of Nao. Now THAT is scary." The mental image of a Godzella-sized giant robotic spider with Nao's head spitting fire and leveling the city to its ground popped up in her mind. _Disturbing. _"And why are you telling me this?" Natsuki asked.

"Well..." The former kaichou hesitated. Dare she tell? Would Natsuki react the way she wanted? Or would the whole thing blow over in her face? At the end her teasing nature won out, and she decided to gamble. "Because Natsuki never acted so affectionate, so I was thinking that maybe it's the other girl who's kissing me, just like before..."

The Kyoto girl's voice trailed off as she saw the killing intent in the girl's eyes. "Like before? She kissed you? And you let her?"

Shizuru gulped. Maybe she just made a big mistake... "I thought she was you, so... Say, Natsuki, your eyes are a little green."

"THEY ARE GREEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!" The girl growled through her teeth. Never before had she felt this insane loathing toward someone she barely knew existed. She wanted so much to break someone's neck, but with the 'someone' having the exact same face as herself, the supposedly satisfying image turned out to be strangely disturbing.

"Ara, Natsuki is so adorable when she is jealous." Bell like soft laughters rang from the Kyoto girl's chest. Natsuki narrowed her eyes dangerously, she didn't like to be made fun of, but it's from Shizuru, so she would tolerate it. Besides, she hadn't seen her friend so happy in a while. "I'm not jealous. I just don't like it."

_Understatement of the century._

Shizuru stopped laughing. With unspoken yearning in her eyes, she moved her hands up to cup the younger girl's face. "Does that mean I don't have to give up after all?"

Natsuki felt a icy cold hand gripped her heart, she almost forgot how to breath. "What do you mean, give up?"

Shizuru gave the girl a wry smile. "You know what I mean. You made yourself clear that you cannot love me the way I hoped you could. Isn't that what you want? Me giving up this unnatural love and just be your friend?"

"I've never said that!" The injured girl sounded desperate. "I told you that 'I cannot love you the way you hoped' because I've never loved anyone like this. I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do in this situation, what if I do something really stupid and disappoint you? I was scared out of my freaking mind! I thought you were going to give me time, but now you are giving up?"

"You... you don't want to be friend?"

"What's that has to do with anything? I am your friend, and I love you. What's wrong with that?" Natsuki didn't get her answer, but was pulled into a toe-curling kiss instead.

_I'll take that as a 'I love you too.'_

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: Natsuki finally did something right for once. Hopefully it's not terribly OOC... 


	8. Slave

Chapter 8: Slave

* * *

"Am I doing this right?" 

"Ah, a little more to the right... Yes! Yes! Right there!"

Chie swung down the wooden sword in her hands and slaughtered the unfortunate watermelon. Giggling, Aoi took off the blindfold that was covering her girlfriend's eyes and handed back her glasses. "You are so bad at this. I can't believe you missed three times."

"So says the one who tripped and ate sand." Chie sat down and picked up a chunk of her kill. Aoi blushed and sat besides her girlfriend. "That's because you gave bad directions."

"Did I really? But I don't remember telling you to trip over the watermelon and fall on your face." The grey-haired girl grinned smugly at her girlfriend and got a light hit on the shoulder for making fun of her.

"Ok, ok. Watermelon, my beautiful princess-sama?" She offered the half-eaten fruit to the girl as a token of truce, which the brown-haired girl gladly took a large bite of. "Ah, messy eater. You got seeds on your face." Said the grey-haired girl.

Aoi quickly touched her cheeks. "Where?"

"Here." The suave devil pecked her girlfriend's lips.

Aoi thought for the thousandth time how glad she was for listening to her handsome girlfriend's suggestion and quitted her part-time job this summer. Instead of working, they were spending quality time on the beach and simply enjoying each other's company.

"Say, would you stand over there and let me take a picture? I want to have one with you in a swimming suit."

Aoi giggled. "Perv."

Chie took out her infamous camera phone and winked. "Just the way you like it."

Aoi stood ankle deep in sea water, her long brown hair waving freely in the warm summer breeze. "Need me to give you a sexy pose?" She laughed and blew kisses at her girlfriend, who was grinning like an idiot.

"All right! Say cheese." Chie raised her camera phone and aimed for the perfect shot. However, the goofy grin that always seemed to decorate her face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a frightened look. Her precious camera phone dropped carelessly on the ground, Chie ran to the brown-haired girl and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the water.

"Chie-chan?"

"Don't move." Chie dragged the girl under the beach umbrella and shielded her within her arms. Aoi was beyond confused by her girlfriend's odd behaviour, but her confusion turned to fright when she saw the 'thing' in the sky.

It was a dragon. No, it was a giant robotic monster with wings and claws, and it was coming at them. Aoi almost screamed out loud if not for Chie's hand covering her mouth just in time. "Shhh... It hasn't seen us yet." The grey-haired girl whispered to the trembling girl.

Now that the moment of shock had passed, Aoi observed the flying monster with a calmer mind and realized that the thing was not coming at them at all. It merely flew overhead. They hid and waited anxiouly until the monster finally went away.

"I thought we were done for." Chie let out a relieved sigh and loosened her iron grip on her girlfriend. "Are you alright?"

"I think so. But what on Earth was that flying thingy? Did you take a picture?"

Chie picked up her discarded phone and gave Aoi a victory pose. "I got it." She frowned deeply at the photo and raised her head to scan the ocean. "This is bad. We can't go back to Fuuka now."

"Eh? Why?"

"Look at this." Chie showed the brown-haired girl the picture on the screen. On the right side of the picture was Aoi with her sexy pose, on the far left there was the flying monster they saw, but in the middle of the picture, there was a black dot of what looked like a ship on the horizon.

"Yeah? I see a... boat?" Aoi strained her eyes on the tiny picture.

"Not a boat. It's a war ship. Just like the ones we saw a while back... You were still in the hospital so I guess you didn't see it, I was so glad that you weren't there for the blood test and strip search. But you should remember the bridge bombing incident, we witnessed it first hand in Fuuka Shrine."

How could she not remember? She just didn't want to, like the memory of the vampire attack she had been so desperately trying to forget. She lied about not remembering anything from that night, but the truth was, she remembered everything. If she had told anyone about the blood-sucking moth monster, she probably would've been sent to a mental ward.

"Chie-chan, we have to call Mai."

The grey-haired girl agreed. "You're right. The war ship is probably here to attack our school again. We have to warn everyone."

"No, Chie-chan." Aoi shook her head and averted her gaze. "I'm sorry I lied before, I didn't want you to worry. But you have to believe me now. Don't call anyone else, just call Mai. She'll know what to do, they are special. Others are better off not knowing."

"Aoi..."

"Please."

"I understand. You don't have to apologize." The glass-wearing girl gave her girlfriend a supportive hug before she dialed Mai's number.

* * *

10:30 am. 

Mai opened her bloodshot eyes and groaned. She did not sleep well last night. The orange-haired girl turned and looked the bed next to hers, Mikoto was still curled up in a tiny ball, pretending to be asleep. Mai let out a heavy sigh and reminded herself to give Nao a good beating the next time she saw her.

Thanks to the big-mouth delinquent, she and Mikoto had a huge fight last night. Nao somehow tricked Mikoto into thinking that 'kissing' was something delicious... Well, technically Nao wasn't completely wrong, but putting that idea into an innocent child's head was downright criminal.

Mikoto had been trying to kiss her the whole day yesterday. No matter how she explained that kissing was only for two people who love each other, the feral girl just couldn't seem to grasp the concept. Then she said something really stupid and upset her young friend. She told the girl she didn't want to kiss her.

And all hell broke loose.

The young girl interpreted her unwillingness to kiss as a lack of love. "Mai doesn't want to kiss me, Mai doesn't love me." So said Mikoto, who was crying her eyes out at the time. The girl was so upset, that she wouldn't let Mai touch her. She even refused food!

"Mikoto, are you awake? I'll make you ramen, please don't be upset." Mai knew the girl was playing possum, but even with her favourite food as bribe, Mikoto still wouldn't respond. _Note to self, kick Nao's sorry ass. _Mai was at her wit's end. If food wouldn't cheer Mikoto up, nothing could.

"Mai, you there? Open the door." The sound of someone yelling and banging at the door made her narrow her eyes.

_Speaking of the devil. _

Mai opened the door and was ready to unleash her anger at the redhead. However, it wasn't just Nao at the door, Alyssa and Miyu were also there. "Alyssa-chan? Miyu-san?" Mai watched with mild surprise as her three guests strolled in.

"Good day." Alyssa greeted. Her guardian came in with armful of luggage that only her android strength could manage. "Tokiha-san, we will be staying here for a while. Thank you for your hospitality."

Mai reflectively responded with a polite bow. "You are very welcome... Heh? Why are you staying here?"

"They are helping us. Fujino asked them to research on Searrs' plan for us HiMEs, but their resident got trashed by the Kuga double, so they are staying here." Nao explained. "Oh, by the way, Kuga called. Fujino went to see her."

_Information overload._ Mai felt dizzy. "Wait, wait. Natsuki called? Is she alright? Fujino-san went... Where is Natsuki now? And what's with the Kruger girl?"

The redhead shrugged indifferently. "Who knows. Fujino didn't say anything before she took off. At least now we know the brat is not dead. As for the double, she pulled a magical girl and went berserk."

"Magical girl?"

"She transformed into a costume and gained superpower." Alyssa added, her baby blue eyes sparkled a little too brightly.

Mai sweatdropped. Alyssa's explanation made her recall Midori's rant about HiME Rangers and many other crime-fighting, justice-serving, monster-ass-kicking animes.

While the orange-haired girl was trying to make sense of all the information she received, someone was knocking at the door again. Mai quickly answered the door. "Yes? Youko-sensei!"

"Hi." The school nurse saw the crowd inside and smiled at the girl. "Having a party with your friends?"

"Not really. Please come in." Mai stepped away from the door and let her new guest come through. "What brought you here?"

Youko scratched her head. "Actually, I just got off the phone with Fujino-san. She asked me to take a look at Natsuki-san's injuries. She also asked me to bring along some of Natsuki-san's clothings, and I remembered you have a spare key to her room."

"Yes, just let me go fetch it for you." Mai said that and went off to the kitchen.

"You hide the key in the kitchen? What else do you hide in there? Wait, don't tell me, I don't wanna know." Nao shook her head and crossed her arms. "Forget the key, I say we let Kuga heal on her own. You can't kill a cockroach that easily."

The school nurse raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were the one person who spent the most time combing the streets, searching for that cockroach friend of yours."

The redhead jumped at the remark. "I was out PLAYING! I don't care about that idiot!" Her cheeks flushed hotly.

"Unsteady breathings, faster heartbeats, increased amount of perspiration. Yuuki-san is lying." Miyu commented in her usual monotone.

"Ahhhhh! Shut up! Shut! Up!" Nao glared at the expressionless android, who stared back at her with apathetic red eyes. "I do NOT care about anyone! Especially not HER!"

_Rowdy as ever._ Mai shook her head and continued her search. When the busty girl found the spare key from under a sauce pan, her cellphone rang.

* * *

Viola easily located the church ruin from the sky. It took her a while to find this place because she had to de-materialize her robe once every minute to avoid being tracked by Searrs. After several repeats of de-robing and re-robing, she finally landed in front of the fallen structure. 

_This place seems deserted._ She thought, examining everything with great care. The edges of the broken pieces looked too smooth, as if they were sliced through by a very sharp blade. _It's my girl's handy work. She is near._ The thought of it brought a smile to Viola's face.

But the problem was, where did Kruger go? And why did she even bother to tear down this building in the first place?

The only logical explanation was that she was fighting someone in this place. Either it was because her opponent was so strong, that the building went down as a collateral damage, or Kruger destroyed the building on purpose.

_This does not look good._

While she was scanning for clues of her girl's whereabouts, a sudden pressure of some eerie presence made her snap back to attention. _Something is coming. _"Materialize!" The Otome transformed and leapt into air, dodging the surprise attack that was meant for her demise.

Viola locked her crimson glare on her enemy, and an involuntary gasp escaped from her.

"Slave!"

* * *

"Get away from there! Now!" Mai's urgent scream came through Chie's cellphone. 

The grey-haired girl blinked and answered. "O...k. But where to? We can't go back to the dorm, the monster is heading to Fuuka, so are the ships. Where do you suppose we should go?"

"Let me think... Alright, listen. We are heading out to a safe house, I'll give you the address. We will meet up there."

"Safe house... got it. What the... Holy shit! What is THAT?" Chie stared with an open mouth as a black humanoid flew overhead with stunning speed. She pushed her glasses up and crinkled her eyebrows in concentration. "It's a plane..."

Aoi strained her eyes. "It's a bird..."

"It's..."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1.The robotic flying monster Chie and Aoi saw was an Aerial Type 4 Slave.

2.Maybe it's just me, but I think it's cute to make Alyssa a closet fan for magical girl shows. In the anime she had the ability to summon Orphan (Youma!), that's where I got the idea. ;D

3.About the Superman line, yeah... I HAD to use it.

4.I got a beta!!! Thank you Graceful Amethyst!!!


	9. Of Hair and GEM

Chapter 9: Of Hair and GEM

* * *

Kruger was in her foulest mood... ever. Apparently rearranging those perverts' faces with her fists wasn't nearly enough to quench her raging blood thirst. 

She really had some lousy luck. First she kissed an impostor, then she got her ass kicked by a fembot, and just to top things off, she let three strangers saw her singing and dancing in nude!

_Stealth! Stealth! I'm sneaking AWAY from my enemy. Now is not a good time to wallow in self-pity and bull through the forest like an elephant with a rat up its trunk._

The Otome took in a deep breath and tried to control her temper. _If I do what Viola taught me, then I should be fine. Breathe in, breathe out. Think happy thoughts... Puppy, mayonnaise, bike, gun. There, all better._

With some degree of self-control back, the raven-haired girl continued her journey down the mountain. It didn't take long before she detected movements from Searrs's troops.

_Those boy scouts got here faster than I thought... This is weird. They are not searching the mountain._

Kruger spied on the soldiers from her hiding place, which was atop a tree with thick canopies. She was sure that her signal should've led Searrs army all the way into the heart of the mountain. The dozen or so soldiers were setting up various equipment on the ground. _What are they doing? _Kruger felt uneasy. _Have they found me? No, impossible._

A man in black uniform, who looked like the leader of the squad, picked up a transmitter and reported. "Squad Seventeen, ready to move out."

"Hold position. Commence Operation C-type Beta." A surprisingly young female voice came through the transmitter and ordered. "Be careful with the instruments."

"Yes, Doctor." Answered the soldier.

_What operation? What's Searrs trying to do this time? _The raven-haired Otome watched the soldiers while straining her brain to figure out the evil organization's plot. _Damn it, thinking is not my strong point. If only Viola were here..._

"Subject located! Aerial Type 4 is engaging. All status green. C-type is active, repeat, C-type is active."

"Lieutenant, did you set up the equipment like I instructed? The feed is not clear. Re-confirm Subject signal." The Doctor ordered.

"Yes, Doctor. Subject V confirmed."

"Subject V? It should be Subject K..."

_What the hell... _Kruger's green eyes widened in alarm. _Don't tell me... VIOLA!_

"Materialize!" The raven-haired Otome screamed and transformed into her robe. At this point, she couldn't care less about revealing her position at all. The soldiers nearby saw her and started shooting.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Kruger roared and expanded her force field violently. Bullets, soldiers, equipment, trees, even parts of earth, everything within the force field's range were mercilessly crushed by this explosive pressure.

_Wait for me, Viola._ Kruger flew up high in the air and searched for her partner with frantic eyes. _Let me make it there in time._

* * *

Viola narrowed her fiery glare and swung down her dual-blade naginata, blocking another attack from the Slave. Its scythe-like claws scraped against her Element's metallic edge and made an extremely unpleasant noise. 

_I don't get this. _The Otome thought while fighting the urge to cover her ears with her hands. _Searrs must really want us back. I didn't think they would go as far as dispatching an aerial type Slave to fight us. They shouldn't have let this monster out of the lab... No, they shouldn't have created it in the first place._

The Otome twisted her body and dodged the Slave's tackle with ease. She turned and swung her Element again, attacking the Slave from its back. The robotic monster blocked her naginata with its claws and rammed forward. Viola's brute strength was nowhere near the Slave's, so she used her weapon as a leverage and flipped out of the way.

_I can't fight an aerial type in close range. _Viola considered her options as she maneuvered around the Slave's multiple strikes with fluid movements. _I can dodge forever, but I can't win if I don't land any attack._

Not far from the battle, Tomoe Marguerite watched in awe as Viola danced through the Slave's assaults with unparalleled grace. _Viola Searrs... She is like a goddess. _The C-type Otome unlocked her visor and revealed her face, craving to observe every detail of the Kyoto beauty's movements with unobstructed vision.

Viola sneaked past the Slave's tackle, zoomed behind it again and whipped her weapon at the monster from a good distance away. The blades of her Element extended into jagged chains and chewed through the Slave's body, ripping it in halves. The Slave shrieked and fell to the ground.

"Beautiful..." Tomoe whispered. She had never seen anything as beautiful as the chestnut-haired maiden. _I want her. _The teal-haired Otome gripped tightly on the shaft of her halberd as she charged forward._ I'll make her mine._

* * *

"Fumi-sama, the Searrs Golden Fleet are here at the bay." Said a girl in red and white maid uniform, whose dark blue hair was tied into two spiky pony tails. 

Himeno Fumi looked out the windows from her office, she could see Searrs's war ships from here, as well as the battle between the flying monster and a mysterious girl. As the former maid of the Crystal Princess, she was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after all the HiMEs after Mashiro entered the Gate of Valhalla.

She didn't think Searrs would target the HiMEs again, but they did. Kuga Natsuki's disappearance was most likely Searrs fault. And now, they even dared to send in their lab-grown monster and their war ships into Fuuka's territory.

"Searrs have no idea who they are messing with." The pink-haired director commented with a stern voice. "Nina, bring Arika here. We have work to do."

The blue-haired girl bowed. "As you wish."

* * *

Viola caught the dark figure in the periphery of her vision and put up her guard to block off the attack. Her own naginata collided with the other girl's halberd, making a dull thud as the two weapons locked together. "You are..." The chestnut-haired Otome scanned the girl in black armor. "An Otome?" 

Tomoe blushed a little at Viola's probing gaze. She lowered her weapon and bowed at the older girl. "Nice to meet you. My name is Tomoe Marguerite, a C-type Otome from Searrs's Project Schwarz."

"... Nice to meet you too." Viola lowered her Element and politely bowed back. "Well then, Tomoe, would you mind telling me what's going on here?"

The girl in black armor smiled shyly at the other Otome and answered. "Searrs ordered me to bring you back, by any means necessary."

"I see." Viola stared into the girl's grey eyes. "What if I refuse?"

"You... refuse?" Tomoe looked hurt. "Why? Searrs have been good to you, to us. They took care of us and gave us power. Look at this." The girl pulled up her shoulder length teal blue hair and revealed the black crystal hanging on her left earlobe. "I am the same as you. We belong together."

_O...k. This girl is creeping me out._

"First of all, Searrs may have been good to you, but I couldn't disagree more. Secondly, you are not the same as me. And last but not least..." Viola readied her weapon and resumed a fighting stance. "I belong to someone else, and it's certainly not you."

Tomoe didn't take rejection well.

"So cruel... Why are you so cruel to me?" The teal-haired girl accused and swung down her halberd in rage. "I'll take you home, and you'll understand. You are MINE."

_Crazy bitch._ Viola parried the other girl's repeated strikes with her naginata. The force of the attacks were making her hands go numb. _She is faster than a Slave. _Viola thought, dodged away from another strike and countered with a heavy kick in the girl's stomach. _But not as durable._

The teal-haired Otome bent over and coughed, her grip on her weapon had slackened. She took a second to recover and then lashed out at Viola with a storm of attacks, trying to overwhelm the older girl with raw power.

_Her patterns of attacks are too simple. _Viola feinted an attack with her naginata, Tomoe raised her halberd in anticipation, but the older Otome extended the blades into chains and struck from a different angle. Tomoe was sent pummelling to the ground.

"It's over." Viola brandished her weapon at the girl, the tip of the blade pointed threateningly at her throat. Tomoe lay flat at her back and glared at the naginata in front of her.

"It's not over. I'll definitely bring you back. You can't run from me forever."

"I beg to differ." Viola replied with an apathetic smile.

Tomoe's face contorted into a lopsided grin and hissed. "Slave!"

The Kyoto girl's ruby eyes widened as she turned to face the direction of the attack. Correction, attacks. She was surrounded.

* * *

She had never seen anything quite as ugly as these, what should she call... lumps. They were like giant, rotten moths each with one wing torn off. They couldn't fly, they couldn't walk, so they were kind of crawling around on the ground, trying to get some places. 

Kruger was disgusted when she saw those lumps, but she was absolutely infuriated when she saw those filthy lumps opened their mouths and tried to attack Viola from behind with their sticky tongues.

"Load Silver Cartridge!"

She shouted out her commands and a massive cannon materialized in her hands. The edges of her robe extended and planted themselves into the ground, bracing her for the recoil of the shot.

"Fire!"

* * *

Viola thought she had killed the Slave by hacking it in halves, but she was wrong. Each half of the Slave grew back a bit and resulted in two deformed monsters. She barely had time to put up a force field before a bright blue beam of energy blasted both the monsters into smithereens. 

Tomoe was planning to attack Viola with the Slave's help, but she did not anticipate Kruger's appearance. The raven-haired girl came out of nowhere and took out her trump card in one shot.

"Kannin na." Viola tripped her with her snake like Element and struck down with the blade on the other end. Tomoe thought she would die for sure as the gleaming blade came at her neck, but she was wrong again. Viola was aiming at her GEM. The dark crystal shattered, her Element and her black armor gone with it.

"Viola!" Kruger flew into the chestnut-haired girl's arms and buried her face in the older girl's bosom. "I've missed you so much."

"My dear girl... I missed you too." Viola sighed and relaxed against the slightly trembling body in her arms. "You lost weight." She observed, bringing her hand up to caress the shorter girl's cheek.

"Viola..." The raven-haired girl raised her head from her partner's chest and and pulled her down into a kiss. Like an addict finally found her fix, Kruger's kiss was filled with unspoken need and urgency.

Viola's knees bucked as the shorter girl swallowed her moans. _She must have really missed me. _The Kyoto girl thought happily.

"Hehehehe...Hahahahaha..."

The psychotic laughter made them break their kiss and turned to stare at the defeated Otome. The left side of her teal blue tresses were cut when Viola destroyed her GEM, leaving her with a jagged haircut.

"What'cha laughing at?" Kruger's cheeks flushed a little. She had completely forgotten about this girl's presence before she kissed her partner.

Tomoe's thin lips twisted into a smile. "So SHE is the one you were talking about. Hehehehe... It doesn't matter. We are all gonna die anyway. Hahahaha..." She curled up into a fetal position and suckled on her thumb, her stormy grey eyes darted around unfocused.

Viola and Kruger exchanged a weird look. _The girl is psycho. _They both thought.

Tomoe may have been psychotic, but she was not stupid. She knew how Searrs would react the moment her GEM was destroyed. Searrs liked to bury their failures. She could have warned those two, but she decided not to. _It's too lonely to die alone._ She thought, and waited.

She was squealing in delight when she saw the missiles came raining down from the sky.

Viola was glad that she was taller than her partner. There were a lot of advantages of being tall, for example, she loved to have her girl sit on her lap when they made out, but that was beside the point. The other advantage of being the taller one was that it made protecting her girl a much easier job.

It took less than a second for her to lock the raven-haired girl within her arms and erect the most powerful force field she could muster before the missiles hit.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: Please read and review. Gah I LOVE review, please review, don't make me beg... Wait, I'm begging already... 


	10. Hick

Chapter 10: Hick...

* * *

All she saw was Viola's neck.

Before she realized what had happened, it was all over. She didn't understand why the other girl would embrace her so tightly that it actually hurt, she didn't understand why there was deafening explosions all around them, she didn't understand why there wasn't even a scratch on herself.

All she knew was that the soft body in her arms had stiffened in pain, and then lost all strength.

"Vi..." Kruger wanted to call out the girl's name, but her voice refused to come out. Her knees gave and she sat down on the ground while holding dearly onto her friend's limp body. "Vi..." _Viola, answer me._ She shook the chestnut-haired girl a little too roughly, determined to get a response.

"Hmm..." Viola groaned and opened her tired red eyes. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Kruger was beyond furious. "BAKA!" The raven-haired girl screamed. "Why did you do that for? You scared me to death! How dare you... Am I alright? How dare you even ask me that!"

Viola smiled sweetly. "Kannin na."

The younger girl let out a controlled breath. "Try that again, and I swear I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, all the king's men won't be able to put it together in one recognizable piece." She threatened her friend with a death glare that would send normal people crying for their mother. Unfortunately, her target was Viola, so there was practically zero effect.

"Hai, hai. I won't do it again." The chestnut-haired girl said not so sincerely. "Ara, I almost forgot about the crazy girl. Is she dead?"

Kruger looked around and saw the unconscious Tomoe lying not far from them. "Nah, don't think so. I guess the force field you put up was big enough to cover her as well. What a stupid way to tire yourself out." She didn't waste this chance to scold her reckless partner.

"I was only looking out for you." Viola said innocently. "By the way, we probably should get out of here before they attack us again..."

"Yeah, about that... Wait here, I'll be right back." Kruger grinned dangerously, she could barely contain the blood boiling rage inside her chest. "I've got some business to take care of."

* * *

"Report."

"Both the Aerial Type 4 Slave and the C-type Otome were defeated."

"Did you destroy all evidences?"

"We did, Mr. Smith. But the Golden Fleet was also..."

John Smith, the new director who was assigned to oversee all Otome related matters, was not pleased. "Do you mean to tell me that not only the Slave and C-type were defeated, but our Golden Fleet, all six of the best war ships in the world, were sunk by one puny little girl?"

"Technically, there were two of them, and they are Z-type Otomes..."

"Z-Type Otomes that we have NO control over! Don't you see? What good is all that power if we can't use it ourselves?" The short blond man pushed his glasses up and smirked. "Next time, send in all C-type Otomes."

"Mr. Smith..."

"They are indeed strong, and it's a terrible waste that we can't capture them alive, but it doesn't matter. All we really need are the GEMs and nanomachines inside them." John Smith said coldly. "Corpses will do."

* * *

Youko's red sports car was hardly fit for carrying six people.

Chie's phone call warned them of Searrs' invasion, so they decided to seek refuge at Natsuki's current hiding place. Without HiME power, they were only girls. There was not much they could do against Searrs' army, let alone a 'robotic flying monster thingy' and a 'black bird-plane-superman' according to Chie.

Mai looked at the petite girl curling up in the back seat and sighed. Mikoto still wouldn't talk to her. She was planning to sit in the back seat with the girl, but Mikoto latched onto the redhead delinquent and left her all alone. With Miyu and Alyssa both in the back seat, there was no other place for her, so she had to sit in the front by herself.

_I'm such an idiot. _The orange-haired girl thought gloomily, and tried not to look at how HER Mikoto snuggled up against Nao. _She is only upset, it'll pass. _Mai told herself.

They arrived at the seaside cottage in what seemed like an eternity.

"Mai-san? Youko-sensei? Everyone! Why are you here?" Yukino opened the door and let them come in. Haruka was standing behind the mousy girl and glaring at her guests.

"I thought Natsuki and Fujino-san were here..." The orange-haired girl looked a little confused.

Yukino smiled and answered. "They are upstairs in the first bedroom."

"I'll go take a look at Natsuki-san's injuries." Said the school nurse, who then hurried off upstairs.

"Yukino-san, Suzushiro-san. Why are you two here..." Mai blinked at Haruka's unfriendly face and it dawned on her. "Could it be... Is this your house, Suzushiro-san?"

"Ya damn right it is. This is Suzushiro family's summer cottage number 1, the very first vacation house our family bought ten years ago." The former Executive Director grunted. "The nerve of you people, barging into other people's property one after another uninvited. My precious vacation plan is completely ruined!"

Mai cringed and apologized. "Sorry about that, Suzushiro-san. It was kind of an emergency..."

"Are you sure you want to explain this much to an outsider, Mai-san?" Said the redhead, who was hugging the petite feral girl in her arms, one hand playing languidly with the girl's short black hair.

Mai narrowed her purple eyes at Nao's obvious display of challenge.

"Who are you calling an outsider? This is MY house for crying out loud." Haruka was about to lecture the redhead about basic human courtesy, but her rant was cut short by a scoff.

"Hmph. Are you a HiME? How can you understand? What does it feel like to live in oblivion?" Nao smirked at the blond's blank face. "Just as I thought. Outsiders should stay out of our way."

"Nao! That was way over the line!" Mai hissed.

The redhead grinned and ruffled Mikoto's spiky hair. "Someone should keep her huge nose out of other people's business."

"Please stop it." Yukino came to Haruka's defense. "Haruka-chan was right. She may not be a HiME like us, but she is not an outsider, she has a right to know."

"I see. Then you are an idiot, Yukino." Nao chuckled and leaned forward to the mousy girl's ear and whispered something.

No one else heard what the redhead said to Yukino, but by the time Nao had finished whispering, the timid girl's cheeks had turned beet red.

"Remember what I told you, Yukino-CHAN." Nao winked at the blushing girl and looked down at the petite girl still clinging onto her arm. "Mikoto, let's go find you something to eat."

"Yup." The short girl nodded.

"I... I'll help." Surprisingly, Yukino volunteered and followed them to the kitchen without as much as looking back at her best friend. The three of them disappeared into the kitchen together as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Wha...What the hell was THAT?" Haruka was stunned. She turned to stare at the equally lost Mai.

"Don't ask me. I have no idea what's going on." Mai shrugged and sat down on the sofa.

"So, what's the emergency you were talking about? Why are those two here for?" Haruka pointed at the android and her young charge, who were busy setting up suspicious equipment in the living room.

Mai scratched her cheek idly, trying to think of a better way to explain the whole Searrs situation to their host.

The doorbell rang again, and it was the third time today. Haruka mumbled something under her breath and opened the door. "What?"

"Hi." Chie and Aoi greeted and entered the house. "Good day, Suzushiro-san. Ah, Mai, you are here already?" Said the grey-haired girl.

"Hello, Miyu, Alyssa-chan. Good to see you too." Aoi smiled at the duo.

The blond child and her guardian stopped working and stared at the two new comers instead.

Mai's jaw dropped. "Why are you two in THAT?"

"This? Oh. We were on the beach when we called you, and you did tell us to come here as soon as possible, so we didn't have time to change." Chie sat down beside Mai and grinned. "A lot of people were staring at us when we rode here. Guess they don't see two gorgeous babes in swimming suits riding on a scooter everyday."

"You were the one having the most fun, Chie-chan." Aoi scolded and blushed at Mai's raised eyebrow. "Ano, is there a bathroom I can use? I was in sea water earlier, and it's kinda sticky now..."

"Down the hall and on the left hand side." Haruka said dryly. "Don't hold back, treat this place like your own home. Everybody else already did."

* * *

"It looks alright, just be careful not to move around too much." Youko said and redressed the bandages on Natsuki's torso.

"Yes, sensei. I'll make sure of that." Answered a Kyoto-accented voice.

Natsuki was keenly aware of her lack of clothing, especially when Shizuru was staring at her almost naked body like that. "Shizuru, shouldn't you be looking away while Youko-sensei examining me?" She grunted.

"Why should I?" The chestnut-haired girl purred and put her hand up to touch her chin, a serene smile decorated her dreamy face. "I've seen you in less."

"Shizuru!" Natsuki whined, blushing furiously. "Sensei, didn't you say you've brought my clothes? Would you please get them for me?"

"Hmm... What a waste." Shizuru sighed softly.

The raven-haired girl gave the amused school nurse a pleading look. "Now would be good."

Youko chuckled at the pair and nodded. "Alright, I'll go get it. Besides, I'm sure your other friends would be more comfortable seeing you with your clothes on."

Shizuru hugged her new girlfriend from behind after the school nurse left the room. "You are cute when you blush." She whispered and kissed the girl's earlobe.

"You did that on purpose!" Natsuki accused, but couldn't stay angry at the former kaichou, not when the sly girl dragged her tongue down her neck and nibbled it ever so slightly. "Shi... Shizuru. Don't do this in front of other people. It's... embarrassing..." She shivered and leaned back toward the warm body pressing up from behind.

"It's just us here." The Kyoto girl cooed and nuzzled the smooth curve of Natsuki's neck, eliciting a small sigh from the young girl. Shizuru's hands rested on the girl's flat stomach and wandered a little too south until they were grabbed and stopped by Natsuki's own shaky ones. "Ikezu." Shizuru chuckled and kissed harder on the creamy skin, elated to hear a feminine moan escaping the girl's throat.

"You two having a good time?" Said a Kyoto-accented voice. Natsuki's mind was still blank when she heard it, so she didn't react at all. But Shizuru jumped.

It was unnerving for one's make-out session to be interrupted by one's own voice.

It sounded too much like a conscience.

* * *

Natsuki's scream made everyone rush into the room. But when they got there, honestly, it was difficult to tell which one was more shocking. The fact that there were two pairs of Natsuki(s?) and Shizuru(s?), or the scene of a half naked Natsuki in Shizuru's arms, completed with a still wet hickey on her neck.

"Say, do you have to scream bloody murder?" Kruger crossed her arms and stared at her double, who apparently was in shock. "What's with you? Can't you get some clothes on? Don't parade around half naked with my face."

"You little... Whose fault do you think it is!" Natsuki's cheeks were crimson red from both anger and humiliation. "Don't you ever knock? Better yet, learn to use the door you twit!"

"Now, now. Don't fight." Shizuru and Viola both said to their girls at the same time.

"She started it!" Natsuki and Kruger protested with the same dignified voice.

All the spectators sweatdropped.

"This is confusing." Mai glanced at the hickey on Natsuki's neck and quickly averted her eyes. _And surprising to say the least. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would never believe Natsuki would let kaichou-san do this to her. _"Maybe we should get out of here."

Nao was grinning like a cat that just ate someone's pet bird. "This is fun. Mikoto, did you see that on Natsuki's neck? That's a hick..."

Yukino hurried to cover Mikoto's ears while blushing darkly."Yuuki-san! Don't tell Mikoto-chan that! She is still too young..."

"I'm old enough. I'm in high school already." Mikoto shook off Yukino's hands and protested defiantly. She pointed at Alyssa. "She is a kid. She is in elementary school. You should cover her ears instead."

"What's wrong with being a kid? I know what that is already. It's a hick..." Alyssa's sentence was cut short by Natsuki's frustrated groan.

"You people stop talking about... that... as if I were not here. It's not what you think! It's a BRUISE! A bruise I tell ya! I got it in an accident." Natsuki covered the 'bruise' on her neck with her hand.

"Some 'accident.' So what? Fujino accidentally fell on your neck and accidentally sucked on it repeatedly?" Nao snorted.

Miyu corrected the redhead. "Theoretically, it's entirely possible. But mathematically, the probability is too low. It's most likely a hick..."

Natsuki's face was the deepest shade of red. "IT'S A BRUISE!"

"That's weird. I don't remember that 'bruise' being there when I treated your wounds." Said Viola with feigned puzzlement, which earned her a death glare from both Natsuki and Kruger.

"You remember all her bruises? What did you do? Counted them one by one?" The young Otome crossed her arms and gave her double a dirty look.

"Ara, you did say something about counting all her cuts and bruises earlier before you left. Don't tell me you were having other things in mind when you did that." Shizuru seriously considered the possibility. Knowing herself, the scenario was entirely probable.

"I didn't do anything indecent! I just gave her a sponge bath. Besides, I thought she was you!" Viola frantically tried to explain to her fuming partner.

"I should've known. Ha! Having the same Fujino face proves to be equal to indecentness!" Haruka scoffed.

"It's indecency, Haruka-chan." Yukino reminded her best friend.

"How could you not tell her apart from me? She looks nothing like me! I don't look that ugly! And her boobs are smaller!" Kruger pointed at the injured girl and growled.

"You're the one with smaller boobs! And apparently a fatter head! Don't think I didn't know it, pervert. How dare you kissed my Shizuru!" Natsuki barked at her double, whose cheeks were starting to turn red.

"Ah... 'MY' Shizuru. It sounds good..." Shizuru's eyes sparkled.

"You kissed her?" Viola turned to stare at the guilty-looking Kruger.

"Well... I thought she was you..." The young Otome physically shrank under her partner's ruby eyes.

"I see." Viola marched toward Shizuru and pulled the unsuspecting girl into a kiss. A full-fledged French kiss.

The noisy room turned dead silent as if someone had pressed the mute button.

"This one is so going into my permanent collection." Chie murmured and zoomed in her camera phone to get a close-up of the expertly executed tongue-to-tongue action.

"I'm not arguing that." Aoi agreed.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. This is a long chapter, I had fun writing this one, I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did.

2. Whee! I got lots of reviews for chapter 9! (Do the guubear dance) More review please!!!


	11. TKO

Chapter 11: TKO

* * *

"Yes... Tokiha, Minagi, Yuuki, Fujino, Kuga, and Kikukawa, the six of them... Correct, Miyu Greer and Alyssa Searrs are also here... No, I don't have any information on Munakata's whereabouts... I understand... Yes, Fumi-sama, I'll do that. Take care."

Youko put her cellphone back into her pocket and picked up a small gym bag from the trunk of her red sports car. She took the bag with her and returned to the house.

"Where did everyone go?" The school nurse looked around the empty living room and shrugged. _Oh well. _The brown-haired woman decided not to think too much of it and headed upstairs. She had clothes to deliver.

* * *

Their lips finally parted with a soft smack. One of them took two steps back, and the other one merely brought her hand up to wipe away excessive saliva on the edge of her mouth.

"Hmph, interesting." Viola mused. "I bet she realized you were not me after she kissed you. Am I right?"

Shizuru, to everyone's surprise, was blushing. "Wha... What did you do that for?" She peered nervously at her girlfriend, whose face was a complete blank probably due to shock, and hoped that the girl was not too upset with her.

"Just to take her kiss back." The otome smiled at her double sweetly. "It's mine, you know."

"I thought Fujino was psycho enough, but I guess there's always a bigger nut case." Nao shook her head. "By the way, would you like to indulge us the reasons behind your previous comment?"

"Oh, about that. You see..." Viola wiggled her finger. "The way her tongue moved..."

"Natsuki you are bleeding!" Shizuru rushed to her girlfriend's side and helped her tilt her head back. The girl was having a nosebleed. "Would someone get me a towel?"

"I'll get it." Mai ran out of the room.

"MUAHAHAHA... You are so weak, Kuga." Nao was laughing so hard, she had to cling onto Mikoto for support.

"I thought this would only happen in manga or anime..." Mai came back with a towel and handed it to the former kaichou, who was also having a hard time keeping a straight face. "Guess I was wrong."

Natsuki groaned and tried to say something, but with a bleeding nose and a towel over her face, her angry protest was muffled beyond recognition. Failed at verbal communication, the frustrated girl then turned to body language. She pointed at Kruger.

"Weak... Muahahaha..." The redhead plopped down on the floor and hit it repeatedly with her fist, squealing wildly as if she were being tickled mercilessly by some invisible hands. "So weak..."

"Oh dear... You alright?" Viola took out her handkerchief and held it under Kruger's bleeding nose. "I didn't know you were prone to nosebleed."

_That's because I've never seen the two of you kiss before! _Kruger grunted and looked down at her feet, mentally demanding herself to erase the image of two Viola Frenching each other.

"You'll die if you keep laughing like that, Nao." Aoi said while biting her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. "And you too, Chie-chan."

The grey-haired gossip queen was bending over in a fit of laughter while leaning against a wall for support. She was using one hand to hold her stomach, and another to operate her camera phone. "Must... hahaha... Take... hehehe... Pictures... Hohoho."

"Here you go, use this when the bleeding stops." Yukino said with a trembling voice and handed the bleeding girls each a wet towel. She was trying to hold those giggles in.

"Indecent... Immortal... Crazy bubuzuke-onna..." Haruka was grumbling under her breath, her face flushed. It was bad enough to see the former kaichou stealing a light kiss from Natsuki, and it was absolutely horrifying to witness a real liplock between two Shizuru. She felt like banging her head against the nearest solid object in hope of getting a convenient case of amnesia.

"You meant immoral..." Yukino heard her friend.

_Why oh why does God hate me?_ The blond thought angrily. _Why did the wicked wench have to kiss in front of me? The crazy, indecent, useless, tea-sipping..._ Haruka sighed.

Mikoto was confused. Nao told her that kissing was something really delicious, and she agreed, it did look very delicious. _But Mai... _The petite girl stole a glance at the busty girl. _Mai doesn't like kissing. Mai doesn't want to kiss me. _

Alyssa was confused too. She didn't get why Natsuki and Kruger would have such nasal reaction from witnessing a kiss. She didn't understand why people find the bleeding part funny either. The blond child looked up at Miyu and found it comforting to see her android guardian's usual expressionless face.

"Alyssa ojou-sama, is there a problem?" Miyu asked quietly. She saw the child peering at her, and she knew that her ojou-sama would do that only when she was feeling insecure.

"Hmm... Miyu, why did their noses bleed?" Alyssa asked in a small voice. She didn't want others to overhear their conversation. Although judging by the current chaotic state, she doubted anyone would pay much attention to her.

The android contemplated for a while and finally answered. "I'm sorry, but I don't know either."

Miyu's lack of a proper answer, however, seemed to please the child. "So does it mean that it's alright if I don't understand it? It's perfectly normal for girls my age not getting their joke, right?"

"Yes, ojou-sama. It's perfectly normal."

"I'm glad to hear that." The child said with a relieved smile on her face.

Youko came back to the room with Natsuki's clothes. "Here's your clo... Why is everyone here?" She blinked and her jaw dropped at the sight of the two bleeders. "Oh my... Did you two hit each other in the nose?"

The room erupted in a new wave of roaring laughter.

* * *

After a lengthy explanation from eleven mouths (not counting the two bleeders, they had clothes under their noses and anything they said was impossible to be made clear), one incriminating video clip and several hilarious photos, Youko finally got the idea.

"I see. So basically, these two kissed and those two bled. Got it." The school nurse summarized the whole event in one sentence.

"Youko-sensei, when you said it like that, somehow it's lost all the fun." Nao complained. "But that's about right. Those two little perverts don't have the stomach for much visual stimulation."

"I was STARTLED." Natsuki whined. The bleeding had finally stopped, but she now talked with a heavy nasal tone. "And what's your problem? Can't you two communicate without sucking Shizuru's tongue?" She glared at the Otomes.

"I only did that by mistake. Unlike somebody here." Kruger shot the older Otome a dirty look. "I thought the other one was your evil twin, but as it turned out, you are the evil one."

Viola puppy-eyed her partner. "Is my cougar cub angry with me?"

Kruger jumped and clamped her hand over Viola's mouth to stop her from spilling more beans. "Alright, alright. I'm not angry." Her cheeks burned hotly. She lowered her voice and growled at her girlfriend. "Stop calling me that in front of a crowd." The raven-haired Otome peered nervously at the twelve pairs of eyes staring at them. "What'cha looking at? There's nothing to see. And you! Put the damn thing away! We are not some animals in the zoo." She barked at Chie and her camera phone.

Chie could feel a real malice behind the Kuga double's threat. She quickly packed away her phone and took a step back unconsciously.

Nao rolled her eye at the raven-haired Otome. "Sheesh! Relax, will ya? You are crankier than dog girl over here."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, Black Widow." Natsuki growled.

"No fighting, girls." The only grown woman in the room had to play the referee. Youko stepped into the middle of three-way crossfire and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Now it's not the time for bickering, we have more important things to talk about. For example..." She turned to face the two Otomes. "Who exactly are you?"

* * *

_This is terrible. _

Nina Wang, second year student in Fuuka High School and Fumi Himeno's loyal maid, stood at the shore and surveyed the ocean.

Half an hour ago, the Director sent her out to inspect the current status of Searrs' Golden Fleet. And here she was, merely thirty minutes later, and the whole fleet was gone. Correction, SUNK, by one little girl.

She was hiding near the shore when she witnessed the whole thing. The girl, or she should say, the tiny-blue-dot-with-long-flowing-hair in the sky, pulled out a gigantic cannon out of thin air and blasted the fleet into oblivion.

And then chaos ensued. Those war ships exploded and sank faster than Titanic. The water was littered with debris from the ships and those that were lucky enough to survive the blast. The girl with the cannon didn't bother to finish off the survivors and left in a hurry. Not long after, a civilian fishing boat picked up those swimmers and headed back to the harbour. From the good timing and the efficiency of the rescue, it's obvious that the fishing boat was actually a Searrs' rescue boat in disguise.

The scene reminded Nina of what happened the last time Searrs tried to take over the school. HiMEs combined their forces and drove those men out of the holy school ground. But they were HiMEs, girls who were bestowed with supernatural power by the accursed Red Star. The girl that just single-handedly destroyed those war ships was no HiME. Who was she?

_Better report this to Fumi-sama. Depending on the situation, that girl could pose a bigger threat than Searrs._

Nina took a last look at the ocean before she headed back, but something golden floating near the shore caught her attention. _Debris from the ships, maybe? _She thought, and strained her amber eyes.

"It's a girl!"

* * *

"Who exactly are you?" Youko asked.

"More importantly, what are you doing here?" Haruka added, apparently still pissed off by her unwelcome guests.

"Ara, how impolite of me. Kannin na." Viola put her palms together and apologized with the most innocent smile on her face. "Excuse my belated introduction. My name is Viola Searrs, and this girl here is Kruger Searrs, my sweet little plushie pu..."

"That's enough out of you, woman." The blushing Otome covered Viola's mouth again, and this time she was not letting go.

_Searrs?_ Everyone's eyes turned to stared at the blond child. Alyssa took a step back and hid behind her guardian from those questioning gazes.

"Alyssa-chan, do you know them?" Mai kneeled down and looked at the frightened child in the eyes. "We are just curious, we don't mean to scare you."

"Alyssa ojou-sama has no prior knowledge of their existence, neither do I." Miyu answered and put her hand gently on the child's head. "Now please stay back and stop staring. If you have questions, you should ask them."

_Good point. _Nao agreed. "So? You only told us your names, you still have a lot to explain. Let's start from why the hell do y'all look the same."

"And why the hell are you here!" Haruka cut in. No one was paying much attention to her.

"Yeah, good question. Why do you two look like us?" Natsuki had been meaning to ask this since the start.

"What do you mean we look like you? Why do YOU look like us?" Kruger scowled. "For all we know, you two stole our faces!"

Youko sweatdropped. "There is no end to this. Can we move on to the next question please?"

"Like what are you two doing in MY HOUSE!" Haruka demanded again.

"Oh, this is your house?" Kruger blinked at the fuming blond. "Nice place."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" _They are doing this on purpose. _Haruka thought angrily. _The Kuga double is as evil as the Fujino double._

"Viola told me to hide here. I didn't know it's your house." The raven-haired Otome gave her double a side way glance. "She only told me that there would be someone 'interesting' here."

"Hide? What do you mean? Hide from what?" The former Executive Director asked.

Kruger sighed. "Searrs."

"You are hiding from Searrs? We are too!" Mai gasped.

Yukino was worried. "They are coming for us again? But we don't have power anymore..."

"Why would they come for you lot?" Kruger frowned. "They were coming for us. But that's all been taken care of."

"Taken care of?" The redhead raised an eyebrow. "What did you do? Transformed into your magical girl costume and blasted all the bad guys with energy beams?"

Kruger scratched her head.

Nao's jaw dropped.

"But there was this monster, and a flying-human-thingy, and war ships!" Aoi said.

"Well... I wouldn't worry too much about them." Kruger shrugged.

"You said they were coming for you." Shizuru's voice was eerily calm, but knowing Viola, Kruger could tell that the Viola double was very, VERY angry. "So basically, Searrs' men mistook my Natsuki to be you, and they hurt her when they tried to get you. Am I correct?"

Viola pulled her girl's hand away from her mouth. "And I have punished them accordingly." She said to Shizuru. "I am really sorry that I did not get there soon enough to prevent the unfortunate incident. However, you do understand that the responsibility falls entirely on Searrs, do you not?"

Silence.

Everyone looked at them nervously. The tension inside the room was so suffocating, even the sarcastic redhead and the pompous blond dared not open their mouths.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Shizuru finally spoke. "Alone."

"NO!" Natsuki squeaked and grabbed onto the Kyoto girl's arm. "Shizuru, don't do this..."

"Don't worry. We are only going to talk." Shizuru gave her girl a harmless smile and headed toward the door. "We'll talk outside."

Viola followed her out.

_OH MY GOD! THEY ARE GONNA KILL EACH OTHER!_ was the thought that ran through everyone's mind, except...

"Maybe they want to kiss again and don't want us to see them." Mikoto voiced her concern and looked at Natsuki and Kruger with great interest. "Are you two gonna kiss each other?"

"NO WAY IN HELL!"

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: There will be an important plot development in the next chapter... of course, Shizuru and Viola are going to have their little "talk" so it must be important. Please read and review. 


	12. The Fox and the Little Prince

Chapter 12: The Fox and the Little Prince

* * *

They left the house and headed all the way to the private beach where it was well out of everyone's earshot. They could still see heads occasionally poking out of the windows, but they wouldn't be able to hear anything from that distance.

"Ara, what does Fujino-san want to talk to me about?" Viola winked. "Another kiss, maybe?"

"Drop the charade, Viola Searrs, or whatever you'd like to call yourself these days." Shizuru was not smiling.

Viola sighed. "Alright. I know you have questions. Go ahead and ask them."

Shizuru had so many questions, she wasn't sure what to ask first. After a whole minute of contemplation, she finally made up her mind. "How... have you been?"

_How have I been?_ "I've been well. You?"

Shizuru thought about the past few years and the Carnival, the rejection and the guilt... and then she thought about Natsuki's confession... "I'm doing fine." She said. "Actually, never better."

The Otome raised an eyebrow. "Good for you. Any other questions?"

"What are you planning to do next?"

"I don't know. We didn't plan anything when we broke out, so I'll have to discuss it with my Kruger first." Viola answered.

The HiME grinned. "You are whipped."

"I'm not the only one. You are pretty whipped yourself." Viola giggled. "But you'd have to agree, that the feeling of being 'owned' by someone is kinda nice."

"Touche. The fox needs to be tamed by the Little Prince." Shizuru sighed. "Your Kruger... She is a clone, isn't she?"

Viola's smile faded a little. "Don't mention that to anyone, especially not her. She doesn't know."

"Does she know about us?" Shizuru asked.

The Otome shook her head slowly. "She thought I was born in a lab like her."

"Why did you make her think that?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" The Otome smiled. "For the one I love, I would do anything, Kiyo. Even it means to lose my identity, my past, everything."

_Why else? Guess that was a dumb question_. Shizuru nodded. "I understand. Your secret is safe with me, Shizuru onee-sama."

* * *

"They don't look like they are gonna fight." Natsuki stuck her head out of the window and not so subtly spied on her new girlfriend.

"They don't look like they are gonna kiss either." Kruger did the same as her double. Fortunately the window was big enough for the both of them, so they weren't fighting for the view.

Nao squeezed between those two and pouted. "They are only talking. How boring."

"Go away. There's not enough space." Natsuki frowned at the redhead.

"It's not like there's anything interesting to see." Nao waved at the two peeping idiots and bear-hugged Mikoto. "Let's go back to the kitchen and feed you more food."

Natsuki's stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food. The unholy sound made the raven-haired girl blush darkly.

"Ah, would you like something to eat? It's almost lunch time, I'll throw something together real quick." Mai offered.

"Is there mayonnaise?" Kruger asked, her green eyes sparkled.

"Mikoto ate all that earlier." Nao said gleefully.

"Yup. I ate the whole bottle. It's delicious." Mikoto nodded.

Both Natsuki and Kruger looked deflated by the unfortunate news.

Mai shook her head. "You shouldn't eat so much grease. It's unhealthy for you."

The feral girl averted her golden gaze and ran out of the room. "Nao, I'm hungry. Find me something to eat." She yelled from the hallway.

The redhead gave the unbelieving orange-haired girl a taunting glance and answered sweetly. "Yes, dear. I'll be right there. Yukino-chan, let's go."

"Ah, yes, Nao-chan." The mousy girl said, and the two left the room.

Haruka frowned deeply as her best friend abandoned her yet again for the obnoxious redhead. _Nao-CHAN?_ She wasn't sure what to do in this situation. She felt... unwanted, and she froze in the spot.

So did Mai.

"Miyu, we should get back to work." The blond child said to her guardian.

"Yes, Alyssa ojou-sama." Miyu and Alyssa left and headed back downstairs.

"Well, I was about to take a shower and change out of the swimming suit..." Aoi said to herself and left.

"I'll take one with you." Chie followed her girlfriend out.

"It's a little late, but here is your clothes." The school nurse handed Natsuki a small gym bag. "Mai-san, Haruka-san. If you don't mind, would you like to go grocery shopping with me? Since we will be staying here at least for the night, we should stock up first."

Haruka mumbled something like a positive response and nodded. It didn't matter if she welcomed her uninvited guests or not, her generous nature dictated she be a hospitable host. And a good host never let her guests go hungry.

Mai also agreed to the errand run. She doubted there was much food in the kitchen. _Mikoto needs some real food. _She thought. _Not the poison Nao made._

The three left. And suddenly, they found themselves to be the only ones in the room. _This... is awkward._ Natsuki and Kruger both thought, and decided to resume their previous activity.

They poked their heads out of the window and continued spying on their girlfriends.

* * *

When the ship exploded and her world turned upside down, she thought she was dead for sure.

_So this is what being dead feels like._ She thought. _It isn't half bad._

She felt cold, very cold. But at the same time very warm, especially on her lips. Her limps were heavy as if they were filled with lead, and her head was pounding like mad, but the soft pressure on her lips was good enough to compensate for all that discomfort. She coughed and opened her eyes, and she suddenly realized that she was very much alive.

... And was being kissed by a girl.

She would be blushing if there were enough blood flow to her face.

"Are you alright?" Nina asked with a concerned voice. The blond girl only looked about fourteen or fifteen, probably the same age as Arika. She wasn't sure if the girl could understand her Japanese because she looked like a foreigner.

The blond girl blinked a few times and her emerald green eyes came to focus. She was still groggy, but she nodded. "I think so. I'm... cold..." Her teeth clattered.

"You were in the water too long. I'm afraid you have a mild case of hypothermia." Nina explained and helped the girl climb up to her back. "Try to hold on to me." She said.

"Thank you... Um..."

"Nina."

"Thank you, Nina-san." The girl said, pressing her face against her savior's shoulder. _She is so warm..._

"What's your name?" Nina asked while carrying the nearly drowned girl back to the Academy.

"Erstin Ho."

* * *

"So you were saying, you remember everything from that night when you were attacked." Chie was sitting behind Aoi and messaging her girlfriend's scalp with her dexterous finger tips, working up a thick lather.

Aoi sighed. "Yes. That's when I saw the moth monster and Sister Yukariko. The red light coming from her neck was almost blinding, and then she pulled out a strange bow and another horse monster came out. Laugh if you want, I know it sounds crazy."

Chie put her hands down and hugged the girl from behind. "I'm not laughing. Tell me more."

"Um. Then I realized that I've seen the same red mark on Nao's shoulder, Akane's back, and Mai's chest..."

Chie gave the girl a weird look. "You check them out when they were changing?"

"No! Perv." Aoi denied quickly. "You and your dirty mind."

The grey-haired girl was grinning like an idiot. "Just the way you like it. Now, would you like me to apply soap to your front too?"

* * *

"Say, Tokiha. Is Nao always so... popular with girls?" Haruka finally asked.

Mai stared at the former Executive Director with a blank expression on her face. "Huh?" She put a package of de-boned chicken thighs into the shopping cart. "What do you mean?"

Haruka fidgeted. "It's just that...Ahhhhh... This is stupid." She angrily stomped away, but came stomping back only seconds later. "Yukino and Mikoto seemed to like to hang around that delinquent a lot. What's their deal?"

"Nao-san is a good kid. I don't see what's wrong with that." The school nurse said innocently.

Both Mai and Haruka gave the woman their most evil eye.

"Good kid?" Mai scoffed. "Good? Kid? How could you lump those two words together to describe her? She is not good and she is certainly not a kid!"

Haruka nodded furiously in agreement. "Absolutely right!"

Youko frowned a little. She was always quite fond of the redhead, and she thought Mai was too harsh on Nao. "She is very sweet if you get to know her. Besides, she is the same age as Mikoto-san. If you considered Mikoto-san to be a child, shouldn't you apply the same rule to Nao-san too?"

"That's different!" Mai protested.

"She is a delinquent, not a child! She has no respect for rules and regulations!" Haruka had little love for the redhead.

"I see." Youko chuckled at the two girls' response. She found the whole thing amusing. _Jealousy sure is ugly. _"But it doesn't matter what you think, Mikoto-san and Yukino-san seem to like her enough to be around her all the time." _Oh, I'm evil. _She thought gleefully. _But those two need to be taught a lesson._

Haruka was disgusted by Youko's statement. "It doesn't matter what I think? Of course it matters! It matters big time I tell ya. I'm Yukino's..."

"Best friend?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "How does that give you authority over who Yukino-san chooses to hang out with?"

"It's for her own good!" The blond protested.

"Hmph. It sounds an awful lot like you are treating her as your own property."

Haruka couldn't come up with a good comeback. She turned to Mai and asked for her support. "You tell her, Tokiha. Mikoto is in danger of Nao's bad influence too."

Mai was speechless. _Have I been treating Mikoto like my own property? Am I really that selfish? _The more she thought about it, the more depressed she got. For the first time in her life, she realized what a horrible person she had been. _I have been treating the girl like a pet, like a play-thing instead of a sentient human being._

"You were right, Youko-sensei. I've... mistreated Mikoto." _Again._ She thought. _And I supposed the whole Carnival thing had taught me to respect Mikoto's feelings. _"I'm an idiot." She said sadly.

"Tokiha..." Haruka didn't expect Mai to switch to Youko's side.

"Good girl." The school nurse patted the girl's orange head. "There, there. At lease you realize your mistake. You can always make it up to her."

* * *

Inside the kitchen, Nao was eagerly giving out poison... no, advices to the two naive young girls. "Like I said earlier, you shouldn't be too desperate. Some people can't appreciate what they already have because it's always there, willing and available all the time."

Mikoto and Yukino nodded at the wise redhead's sermon.

"I see. That's why you told me to stay away from Mai. Nao, you are really smart!"

"Of course I am." Nao grinned. "How about you, Yukino-chan? You can't stick around that rubber brain and act all innocent and friendly and expect the dumb blond to like you back. You have to be bold! Grab her by the neck and drill your confession of love into her thick skull..."

"I can't!" Yukino shook her head in defeat. "Haruka-chan will hate me. She doesn't like girls..."

"What?" Nao was outraged. "Come on! Suzushiro doesn't like girls? No way! She is mentally humping Fujino all the time. Now there are two of them, Suzushiro will be taking cold showers three times every day!"

"What did you say?" Yukino gasped. "Haruka-chan... Haruka-chan sees kaichou-san as a rival, not... that... Besides, they always fight. There is no way..."

"Oh, grow up." Nao rolled her eyes at the mousy girl. "I bet all that bickering is Suzushiro's idea of foreplay. She probably came when she saw the two Fujino kissing."

"Nao-chan!" Yukino's face was all red.

Mikoto caught the words. "What's foreplay? What came? Is that edible?"

Yukino preyed the ground would kindly open up and swallow her from where she stood.

TBC

* * *

Omake:

"Tame me." The Kyoto-ben fox said.

"What does that mean - 'tame'?" The raven-haired prince asked.

"It means to establish ties." The Kyoto-ben fox said.

"'To establish ties'?" The only thing that had seemed to established was the nervous twitch on the raven-haired prince's eyebrow.

"Just that," said the Kyoto-ben fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a cute fan girl who is like a hundred thousand other fan girls, albeit a whole lot sexier."

"Get to the point please." The raven-haired prince interrupted.

"To you, I am nothing more than a reeeeeeeeeally hot foxy mama like a hundred thousand other foxes."

"Point, please."

"But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I will be unique in all the world..."

"I am beginning to understand." The raven-haired prince blushed. "Are you proposing to me?"

"Yes?" The Kyoto-ben fox's red eyes sparkled hopefully.

The raven-haired prince was puzzled. "Wouldn't that be beastality? You are a FOX you know."

The Kyoto-ben fox purred... and pounced!

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. The fox and the little prince line is a reference from the book "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

2. So here you go, Viola Searrs' real name revealed. The twin thing has been done to death, but i hope it still worked. Kudos to everyone who has mentioned the word "twins" in their reviews, and kisses to those who insisted Viola's name to be Shizuru.


	13. Sisters

Chapter 13: Sisters

* * *

"Drink this, it's ginger tea. It should help you warm up nicely." Nina handed the blanket covered Erstin a steaming cup of tea and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. The blond girl wrapped her cold fingers around the warm tea cup and took a small sip.

"Argh... spicy..." The ginger tea's offending taste made the girl grimace in distaste.

Nina chuckled. "Bear with it, I know it doesn't taste great, but it's good for you."

"Can I..." Erstin blushed. "Can I have some sugar with it, please?"

"If that's what it takes to make you drink it, then alright." The older girl stood up and headed for the door. "Don't wander off, I'll be right back." She said and then left the room.

Nina had some doubt regarding the seemingly innocent girl. After all, the girl could have been from Searrs._ It doesn't matter how harmless she appears to be, she could be dangerous, like the nine-year-old girl who caused us a lot of grieves back then._ Nina was careful, she never underestimated an opponent, so she brought Erstin straight back to Director's office instead of the infirmary.

"Nina-chan, you are late." An energetic young girl greeted her in the hallway. The girl was wearing the same red and white maid uniform Nina was wearing, her orange hair was braided into two long pig tails and were let dangling from the back of her head. Her sky blue eyes lit up at the sight of her roommate.

"You are late too, Arinko." Nina tapped the girl's wide forehead with her knuckles and grinned as the young girl yelped and stumbled backward to get away from her attacker.

"Don't call me Arinko, it's Arika! You are so mean, Nina-chan." Arika covered her forehead with both her hands and pouted. "Besides, I am late for a good reason. I was busy doing a good deed."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "Oh ho? Like what?"

Arika puffed up her chest and answered proudly. "I saved a girl and took her to the infirmary."

Nina frowned slightly. _Arika is doing something spontaneous again. _She thought, then she remembered that she too, had taken in a complete stranger just like Arika had. _At least I am more careful than dekochin here._ "You should've brought her here. What if she is with Searrs? Fumi-sama won't be too pleased to hear that."

"Oops, my bad. I'll bring her here after she recovers enough. That girl was pretty beaten up when I found her near the church."

Nina sighed. "Alright, but you should go report this to Fumi-sama right away. You know what, you go ahead, I have something else to take care of first."

Arika eyed the older girl curiously. "What's so important that delays you from reporting back to Fumi-sama?"

Nina smiled as Erstin's glowering face flashing over her mind. "I have to find some sugar."

* * *

"So? What did you two talk about?" Natsuki interrogated her girlfriend the moment the Kyoto girl set foot back into the room.

Shizuru's lips curled up into a mysterious smile. "About fox."

"Fox?" Natsuki frowned slightly. _Shizuru is so hard to understand sometimes._

"And prince." Viola added.

"Prince?" Kruger's jaw hanged open a bit. _What's that suppose to mean?_

"Yes." Shizuru and Viola both answered to their girlfriends with the sweetest voice.

* * *

Youko, Mai, and Haruka came back with enough food to feed an army. There were fourteen of them after all, bigger than a standard military platoon. Besides, Mikoto by herself was enough to out eat three grown men.

"I'll make curry. You like curry, right Mikoto? This will be like a overnight school trip." Mai said to her favourite girl in a overly cheery voice. She tried to pet Mikoto's head like usual, but Nao quickly grabbed the petite girl from behind and locked her into an embrace.

Mai's hand froze in the air.

"Mikoto, remember what I told you? Now let's get out of the kitchen, this place is getting crowded." Having said that, the redhead then practically dragged the feral girl away.

Mikoto was torn. She remembered perfectly what Nao had told her. _Don't act so desperate. Being desperate is BAD! But... Mai looks so sad... _

"Don't worry about it. Mikoto-san is only upset." Youko put her hand on Mai's shoulder. "Now, we should concentrate on making delicious lunch. Maybe Mikoto-san will feel better once she is fed."

Mai nodded silently. _Mikoto hates me now._ She thought, bitting the inside of her lip to stop herself from crying.

Yukino wanted to say something, but quickly changed her mind. _I shouldn't meddle with Mikoto-chan's business, but this is getting hard to watch. _She thought and decided to have a serious talk with both Mikoto and Nao after lunch.

"Well, I am the host, and I should probably help make lunch, but... To be honest, I don't want to poison my guests. So I'll get out of your way." Haruka said to the orange-haired chef.

"No problem, Suzushiro-san. I can handle it, you really don't have to worry too much." Mai replied with a forced smile on her face, obviously still upset over Mikoto's rejection.

"I can help, if you like." As another follower of Nao's 'teachings,' Yukino felt guilty over Mai's sufferings, and was compelled to do something nice for the girl.

Mai shook her head. "No, really, you don't need to. Youko-sensei is here... Yukino-san, if you don't mind... Would you... would you talk to Mikoto for me, please?"

Yukino gave the girl a firm nod. "I'll do that." She said and left the kitchen.

"I'll go keep an eye on them. I don't want my Yukino to be alone with that delinquent." Haruka went after her best friend, However, she failed to realize how possessive she just sounded.

Youko raised an eyebrow at the angry blond's comment. _Ah, young people these days... _She then frowned at her own thought. _Is it just me, or are they all gay?_

* * *

"Oh, by the way, do you have any extra clothes?" Viola asked the raven-haired HiME.

Natsuki had put on her school uniform earlier while Shizuru and Viola were busy having their little chat outside. With her body now properly (decently) covered, she was not nearly as jumpy as before. "Yeah. Youko-sensei brought me a whole bag of them. Why do you ask?" She said.

Viola put her hand on her girlfriend's waist and tugged on the ragged shirt. "My girl's clothes is falling apart. If you don't mind, would you let her borrow something to wear? I figure you both have the same size."

"It's not that bad..." Kruger whined.

Natsuki shrugged. "Alright. Take whatever you want. I don't mind."

"Thanks." The young Otome mumbled to her HiME counter part and randomly picked out a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of black pants from the gym bag. "I'll go change." She headed out of the room.

"You forgot this." Viola stopped the girl and took out an 'S' shaped silver hairclip from her pocket. "Here." She said, and carefully put the hairclip on the left side of the girl's head.

"I thought I lost it!" Kruger looked really happy.

Shizuru smiled. _That hairclip... It brings back memories..._

* * *

**Eleven years ago:**

"Shizuru-chan, Kiyo-chan, where are you? Stop playing hide and seek."

The young twins stifled their giggles while hiding behind a dense rose bush. They didn't like their new nanny, and they were having a great time making the poor woman's life as miserable as possible.

"I'm begging now, please just come out. If Fujino-sama hears about this, he will have me fired." The middle-aged woman was practically in tears.

The two little devils had no love for that woman. They remained silent until the nanny went away.

"That old hag is so annoying." The older twin pouted. They were both dressed in the identical lilac kimono, but her long chestnut hair was tied into a loose pony tail, while her younger sister was wearing a silver hairclip on her head.

"I don't like her. She always looks at me funny." The younger twin complained. "If she were a really pretty lady, then I might forgive her. But she is so OLD and UGLY, she makes me wanna puke."

"I know. Poor Kiyo. I wish I could do something about it."

"Maybe it's the birth mark's fault." Kiyo was rather depressed. "That shriveled old prune always stares at it." She put her hand over the left side of her waist, willing the mark to disappear.

"Well, I think the red mark is pretty. Maybe that crone is jealous." The older sister suggested.

"Let's forget about her. Shizuru onee-sama, I brought a story book, wanna read it together?" Kiyo asked.

"Alright. Let's see... Oh, Japanese Folklore. We'll read your favourite one." They sat down on the lawn and flipped open the book.

"The Legend of Kiyohime. There was a girl named Kiyo..."

"This story is stupid. You only like it because you have the same name." The older twin whined.

The younger twin blew a raspberry at her older sister. "So what? I like it. It says I am a 'hime' in the story."

"You do know that the word 'hime' here only means 'girl,' not 'princess,' don't you? Besides, my name is pretty cool too. It means 'calm and composed,' perfect for a lady."

"Hai, hai."

"Don't 'hai, hai' me, you rascal." The girl pounced, showing none of the calmness and composure her name implied, and a tickle war ensued. Unfortunately for them, their rather loud squealing and giggling made their hiding place fairly obvious for their nanny to find.

"Shizuru-chan? Kiyo-chan? Oh, stop hiding, I know you are here. I heard you." The twins quickly cover their mouths, but it's too late. They could hear the woman's footsteps approaching.

"Quick, give me your hairclip. I'll make her think I'm you, so she won't look at you funny anymore." The older twin undid her pony tail and handed her sister the red ribbon. Kiyo did what her onee-sama told her and handed her the silver hairclip.

Shizuru's little scheme worked like miracle. Their nanny mistook Shizuru to be Kiyo, and shortly after, the greedy woman delivered the wrong girl into Searrs' hands.

"My child, from now on, your name is Fujino Shizuru. Never mention the name 'Kiyo' again." The twin's distraught father told this to his now only daughter.

"Why? That's onee-sama's name. Where is onee-sama? What's going on?" The girl asked, her face was but a total confusion.

"Never let anyone see the red mark on your body. Bad people will come and take you away. They have already taken your sister... I can't lose you too." The man locked the panicking girl tightly within his arms. "We will move to a new place, somewhere those bad people can't get their hands on you."

"Father, I am scared..." The girl was crying now. She had never been separated from her twin sister since birth, and suddenly she was told that some really bad people had taken her only sister away from her. "It's my fault, isn't it... Onee-sama was right, they are jealous of the mark..."

"It's not your fault, my child. It's those people's fault. They are jealous of your mark, and they will try anything to get it. That's why you must keep the mark hidden and change your name, that's why we have to move away. Now repeat after me: 'my name is Fujino Shizuru.'"

"My name is Fujino Shizuru." The girl repeated after her father.

"Good girl. Say that again."

"My name is Fujino Shizuru."

"'And I vow to be strong enough to protect myself and the ones I love.'"

The girl wiped away the tears with the back of her hands, her young face wearing a mature expression unfit for a seven-year-old. "My name is Fujino Shizuru, and I vow to be strong enough to protect myself and the ones I love."

It was at that moment, Fujino Shizuru became the strongest and also the most vicious HiME among them all.

* * *

Yukino was planning to talk to Mikoto when she got out of the kitchen, but when she finally found the girl in the back porch of the house, she didn't know how to start the conversation.

Mikoto was curling up and lying on the wooden floor, her bushy head rested on Nao's lap. She was taking a nap.

"She is too hungry to move. Other then the bottle of mayonnaise and a few packages of ketchup, she hasn't had anything since yesterday." Nao explained with a gentle smile on her face. "Too bad I can't cook."

"Nao-chan..." Yukino sat down beside the girl. "Don't you think it's enough? I'm sure Mikoto also misses Mai-san terribly. Maybe you should let her be with her Mai for now."

"Na huh." Nao shook her head. "You are missing the point. If I let her go crawling back to that woman, then the problem between them will never be resolved. I want Tokiha to suffer. I'm going to make her see that it's HER who needs Mikoto more than the other way around."

"Nao-chan... You really like Mikoto-chan, don't you." Yukino said with a knowing smile on her face.

Nao blushed. "It's not what you think. I just can't stand that indecisive goody two shoes. First it's the useless side-burn dude Tate, and then it's the glinter Reito. That all-bust-no-brain-redhead was only indulging in the attention her boy toys showered her. She didn't really love either of them. I feel sorry for Mikoto."

Yukino was puzzled by Nao's remark. "Why do you think Mai-san didn't love them? Wasn't her love for Tate-san the reason she was able to summon her Child in the final battle?"

Nao snorted. "Yeah, right. Don't tell me you don't remember that the side-burn dude was DECEASED when Barbie fought the Obsidian Lord. You go ahead and find me a HiME that has a corpse as her most important person."

"I see. So you think it's Mikoto."

"Exactly, but Tokiha is too stupid to realize that. She thinks she only likes men, but she gladly allows Mikoto to fondle her breasts in public. When it comes to denial. She is even worse than that emotionally constipated bike dyke, but possibly on par with your beloved Haruka-chan."

Yukino's cheeks reddened. "Why are we talking about her now? I thought we were talking about Mikoto-chan's problem."

"They are not so different, Tokiha and Suzushiro." Nao said. "They are both ignorant fools, that's what they are. They can't see the good things they already have. Like Mikoto, like you."

"I'm not that good, Nao-chan." The mousy girl shook her head and sighed. "I'm the one who's been tagging alone. Haruka-chan would do fine on her own, I'm only weighting her down."

The redhead gave the glass-wearing girl a weird look. "Are you kidding me? Suzushiro will fall apart if you are not there to pick up the pieces. I bet she can't even spell her own name right without your help. Gah, I can't understand what you are seeing in her."

"She is not that bad." Yukino protested. "Haruka-chan is always strong and sincere. She does everything full-throttle, and she never gives up in the face of adversaries. I am lucky to have such an amazing person as my friend."

Nao grinned. "And that's why you love her?"

"Yes." Yukino nodded, and then blushed furiously. "Don't tease me, Nao-chan."

"I know you are shy, but I bet Suzushiro would swoon if you confess your love to her face like that."

"I can't... You are so mean..." Yukino whined.

"Alright, alright." Nao put up her hands in mock defeat. "I'll stop teasing you... Damn, that curry is smelling great. Tokiha is not a complete good for nothing after all. Yukino-chan, would you go see if the lunch is ready? I can't move right now." She points at Mikoto's head on her lap.

"Um." Yukino stood up and got back in the house.

Nao waited until the girl closed the back door shut. "You know, eavesdropping is hardly something a rule-abiding person such as yourself should do, ex-Executive Director."

She couldn't help but let out an evil laugh when she heard the sounds of angry stomping and incoherent cursing coming from behind a tree near the house.

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. "Dekochin" means "big-forheaded one." (e.g. Sakura from Naruto, Eriko from Marimite.) Arika's forehead is not glaringly big, but Nina likes to tease her.

2. In Japan, people usually make curry rice when they go on a school camping trip.

3. I hope this chapter could clarify some confusing issues I raised in the previous chapter.

4. I love the Japanese phrase used to describe the HiME Shizuru to be "最強最悪" - the strongest, the most vicious one, so I just thought I would stick it in there somewhere. Please read and review, your reviews are my fuel.

* * *

Beta's Notes (giggles):

I only have one thing to say... Dude! Shizuru is not Shizuru?! Whoa... –clears throat- That is all.


	14. Mikoto's Awakening

Chapter 14: Mikoto's Awakening

* * *

The dining room was not big enough for the fourteen of them to sit comfortably around the table. Fortunately, the chef of the day had put some thought into that when she prepared for their meal. She made it so that the only utensil involved in consuming the delicious curry chicken on rice was a spoon.

Shizuru insisted her 'incapacitated' girlfriend to stay in bed for her meal. "Natsuki shouldn't be up and about yet." She said, then brought their portion of food into the bedroom and locked the door.

No one knew exactly what the former kaichou was planning, but everyone got the general idea. Whatever it was, it probably involved a very red Natsuki at the receiving end of a spoon.

Nao officially named them "The Honeymooners."

The rest of them scattered around the house with plastic spoons and paper bowls in their hands.

Nao deliberately choose to sit in front of Mai when there was plenty of room elsewhere. The redhead even made Mikoto sit on her lap during the meal. "Such a messy eater." Nao cooed at Mikoto and wiped the feral girl's mouth with a napkin.

The plastic spoon in Mai's hand was snapped in half.

"Ahaha... Those things are so fragile..." Aoi forced out a weak laugh and gave her roommate a warning glare. Truth be told, if Nao wouldn't stop gloating in Mai's face, she feared that her jealous friend might snap the redhead's neck like she did the unfortunate spoon.

Upstairs in the bedroom, something snapped too. It wasn't the spoon, it was Natsuki's pride.

"Say 'ahhh...'"

"Ahhh..." Natsuki had completely given up. _Damn you, Shizuru. Damn you, and the spoon, and your watery puppy eyes. When Shizuru wants, Shizuru gets. That's the way this universe works. It doesn't matter if my left hand is perfectly fine, it doesn't matter if I'm embarrassed as hell, if Shizuru wants to feed me, all I can do is open my mouth wide._

"Ara, Natsuki has such powerful bite." Shizuru mused.

_This woman is thoroughly enjoying this._ Natsuki thought while chewing her food with unnecessary force. _DIE! DIE! DIE!_

"Say 'ahhh...'"

"... Shouldn't you be feeding YOURSELF?" _AND STOP FEEDING ME LIKE I'M A TWO-YEAR-OLD, DAMN IT!_

"You are right." Shizuru nodded in agreement, and then put the curry ladened spoon that was just in her girlfriend's mouth earlier into her own mouth. "Delicious." She said after she swallowed the food.

Natsuki's face turned a new shade of red, if it's even humanly possible.

"Your turn."

* * *

"Sorry, this is where I work, so I don't have any other clothes to offer. Put this on for now, I'll find you something later." Nina placed a maid uniform on the bed and gave Ersin a apologetic smile. "This is my spare uniform I keep around the lounge, I shouldn't be making you wear this, but you need some dry clothes..."

Erstin blushed slightly. The thought of wearing something her blue-haired savior had worn was... nice. "I don't mind, Nina-san. I am really grateful. You saved me and took care of me..." _And I think you are really beautiful._

Nina noticed the blond girl's flushed cheeks. "Are you alright? Maybe you are having a fever. Let me check." She brushed aside the girl's blond bangs on her forehead and leaned in to press her own forehead against Erstin's.

Erstin almost passed out when she felt the older girl's breath on her face. _She is so close... If I could just..._ She closed her eyes and tilted her chin up, inching slowly toward the other girl's cherry coloured lips.

The door suddenly swung open and came a very loud greeting. "Niii-naaa-chaaan, Fumi-sama called..." Arika froze at the entrance. From her angle, the two looked like they were kissing.

Nina and Erstin both jumped and backed away from each other reflectively.

"I'M SO SORRY!" The young maid gave them a ninety-degree bow and fled the room.

Nina sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry about that. That was my roommate Arika, she is an idiot so you can forget about her. Would you give me a minute? I have to 'talk' to her."

Erstin nodded, her cheeks still aflame. _I almost kissed her..._ She thought guiltily, half relived that the brown-haired girl interrupted before she actually did it, but half disappointed that she didn't go through with it. _What was I thinking anyway? Probably wasn't... Great. She saved my life, and what did I do to repay her kindness? I tried to sexually harass her! Gah! What is wrong with me? _

The blue-haired maid found her roommate just outside the room. "Arika, you scared the poor girl. Can't you at least knock first?"

"My bad." Arika gave Nina a sheepish smile, her face slightly reddened. "I didn't mean to interrupt you and your... girlfriend."

Nina raised an eyebrow at the young maid's remark. "She is not my girlfriend. What makes you think that?"

"She is not?" Arika frowned in confusion. "Then why were you kissing her? When did you pick up the habit of kissing random girls?" She took a step back and covered her mouth protectively. "You wouldn't be thinking about kissing ME now, would you?"

Nina rolled her eyes and tried to contain the sudden urge to strangle her roommate. "Your head is filled with garbage, do you know that? We were NOT kissing, and I certainly DO NOT want to kiss you. I was testing Erstin's temperature with my forehead because I thought she might have developed a fever."

"Ers-tin?"

"The girl's name."

"Ohhh, I see, but Nina-chan, you are so unfair. The only thing you did for me when I was sick was throwing me a thermometer..." Arika imitated her roommate's apathetic lopsided smirk with great exaggeration. "With that face. You even made me go to school. How cruel of you."

Nina shrugged. "You are durable, a cold or two won't kill you."

Arika protested defiantly. "What do you mean 'I am durable'? I am but a sweet and tender fourteen-year-old bishoujo, don't use the adjective on me like I'm some kind of workhorse!"

"All... righty. Keep telling yourself that, Arinko."

"It's not 'Arinko'! It's Arika!"

The door to the maids' lounge opened with a soft squeak. A concerned Erstin clad in Nina's spare uniform stepped out of the room. "Is everything alright? I don't mean to cause any trouble. Please don't fight."

Nina gave the blond girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we are not fighting. Arika is noisy like that."

"Ahhh! You are so pretty!" The said noisy girl exclaimed loudly and examined Erstin with great interest. "No wonder Nina-chan is so gentle to you, you are like a porcelain doll!" She squealed and bear hugged the startled girl. "And you are so soft and cuddly too!"

Nina had to grabbed her roommate by the collar to drag her away from a squirming Erstin. "As I told you before, she is an idiot so don't mind her." She said to the blond girl.

Arika whined and freed herself from Nina's grip. "You are so mean, Nina-chan." She reached forward and held the blond girl's hands. "I'm Yumemia Arika, just call me Arika-chan. I heard your name is Erstin. I think I'll call you Ers-chan. Can I call you Ers-chan? You wouldn't mind, would you? You can call her Nina-chan too. She looks scary, but she is actually kinda nice..."

Erstin blinked and stared at the enthusiastic young girl with her mouth hanging slightly open. She was overwhelmed by Arika's outburst of hyper speed talking mixed with exited squeals and giggles. _Doesn't she need to take a breath between sentences?_ She thought, while trying to make sense of everthing that's coming out of the girl's mouth.

_Here she goes again, acting all familiar toward someone she just met for thirty seconds. _Nina quickly cut off Arika's senseless babbling. "Arika, didn't you say something about Fumi-sama?"

"EEEK! I almost forgot!" Arika yelped. "Fumi-sama asked for you and Ers-chan. Let's hurry!"

* * *

By the time Mai finished her lunch, she had broken three spoons.

Being both Mai's friend and Nao's roommate, Aoi had to do something to prevent those two from killing each other. "Nao, can we have a talk?" She asked but didn't wait for a reply and dragged the redhead delinquent away with Chie's help.

"Where are we going? What do you want to talk about?" Nao asked the two girls who were handling her like a prisoner.

"Oh, we are going to talk about something VERY important. We'll just be talking outside, so no one can hear us." _So your pretty redhead wouldn't be smashed to bits by a very jealous Mai, punk. We are saving your ass. _Chie added mentally.

Inside the living room, Yukino was having a similar thought. _I promised Mai I would talk to Mikoto for her. Now that Nao-chan is not here, this is my chance. _"Mikoto-chan, would you come with me for a minute? I'll give you candy." She said and took out a small package as lure.

Mikoto, despite just had four helpings of lunch, drooled at the sight of sweets. "Yup, I'll come with you." She chirped and followed Yukino willingly.

_If anyone wanted to kidnap her, it would have been so easy. _Yukino couldn't help but think that as she led the feral girl out through the back door.

* * *

Outside in the front porch, Aoi and Chie were actually having a serious conversation with Nao. "So the red mark is called a HiME mark, and there are twelve HiMEs." Aoi asked with a slight frown.

Nao nodded. "Yup. The twelve of us had the power to materialize weapons from photons. It's call an Element. I don't really understand how that worked but all HiMEs could do that."

"What about the monsters? Did you materialize them too?"

"Well..." Nao thought for a second. "The ones that ran around doing random damage were the Orphans. The ones that we controlled were our Child. Each HiME had one."

"Wait, why do you keep referring that in past tense?" A puzzled Chie asked.

"Because those were in the past, silly. We had all lost our abilities when the Carnival ended." Nao said matter-of-factly. "Oh, by the way, the Carnival was like a battle royal where HiMEs had to kill each other's Child, sometimes each other. When the Child dies, the HiME's most important person would also greenspark."

Aoi and Chie's eyes and mouths hanged stupidly open.

"If I remember it right, Miyu the android killed Akane's Child and Kazuya died, Akane went catatonic. Father Greer killed Alyssa the fake HiME for her failure to take over our school. Shiho went split personality and killed Akira-kun's Child, Mai's little brother Takumi died. Sister Yukariko killed herself and took Ishigami-sensei with her. The evil Obsidian Lord took over Kanzaki's body and brainwashed Mikoto. Mikoto killed both Director Himeno's Child and Midori-chan's Child. She also killed Shiho's Child and KO'd Tate. Fujino went psychotic and killed Yukino-chan's Child, Haruka died. She also killed my Child, and my mama died. Kuga killed Fujino's Child and also got her own Child killed, BAM! Double homicide and suicide. Yada yada yada, kid Director Kazahana brought us back to life and restored our power. We destroyed the HiME Star and Mai defeated the Obsidian Lord. After that last hurrah, we all lost our power again. Now, any questions?"

* * *

In the back porch, Yukino was trying to fulfill her promise to Mai and was talking to Mikoto. "Mikoto-chan, may I ask you a question? I understand that although Nao-chan's advices had their merits, what I couldn't figure out was why were you having a fight with Mai-san in the first place? Did she do something wrong?"

Mikoto's golden eyes casted down on the ground. "Mai wouldn't kiss me."

Yukino's cheeks turned red. "What?"

Mikoto pouted. "Mai said kissing is for two people who love each other very much, but she wouldn't kiss me. Mai doesn't love me."

"I... see." Yukino paused for a second to think about what to tell the feral girl. "Mikoto-chan, sometimes two people can love each other very much, but they don't always kiss."

"They don't?" Mikoto tilted her head to the side and stared at the glass-wearing girl with puzzled eyes.

Yukino shook her head. "Not always. Do you know? There are different kinds of love. I am sure your Mai loves you in her own ways. Maybe she doesn't want to kiss you, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love you."

"Is that so?" Mikoto looked somehow relieved. "Yukino, you are so smart! Now I understand. Yup. Mai loves me, but she doesn't like kisses. I love Mai, and I like kisses too."

Yukino blinked. _How come I am getting the feeling that something is about to go into a very dangerous direction..._

Mikoto continued. "I like kisses very much. Yup, and I love Mai, I love everyone. I love you too, Yukino. LET'S KISS!"

"Mik..."

"CHUUUUUU!" A wet, sloppy kiss was forcefully slapped onto the timid girl's lips.

A fuming Haruka jumped out from behind the tree. "GET YOUR FUCKING LIPS OFF MY YUKINO YOU FILTHY LITTLE...!"

"I love Haruka too! CHUUUUUU!"

* * *

Viola and Kruger were taking a nap on the beach right outside the house. The beach umbrella Chie and Aoi brought came in very handy as they lay in the shade and enjoyed the pleasant summer breeze without being burned by the blazing sun. All's well except...

"What's that ungodly noise?" Kruger raised her head from her girlfriend's lap and turned groggily toward the direction of the house.

"It sounds like someone accidentally steps on a duck's neck." The older Otome frowned at the ongoing shriek that woke her girlfriend from her afternoon nap. "Go back to sleep, dear. It's probably nothing."

"Um." Kruger groaned and plopped back down on the blanket, dragging her girlfriend down with her. She rested her head on Viola's ample bosom and mumbled sleepily. "Remind me to kill the duck when I woke up." She closed her eyes and nuzzled her 'pillow.'

Viola smiled and ran her fingers through the girl's raven hair. "Hai, hai."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. I tried to make them all in character, so it's taking a while for the pairings to develop their relationships. How I wanted to make Nina gay for Erstin from the start, but that would be seriously OOC. (Sigh...) (Beta: Do it anyway...lol)

2. "Chu" is kissing sound. I think you can all guess what's going to happen in the next chapter. Please read and review.

3. Thanks ifuritka and TwinBladeWarrior for pointing out some errors in the earlier version.


	15. Berserk

Chapter 15: Berserk

* * *

Haruka's shriek could be heard throughout the house. But she was always yelling or screaming or barking about trivial matters, no one really cared what the former Executive Director was shrieking about this time. That was, not until heavy objects started flying their way that they finally realized something had gone terribly wrong.

"I'LL KILL YA!" With that earsplitting scream came a wooden chair sailing through the air and crash landed on the floor.

Now everyone was paying attention. Haruka's random ranting was one thing, but death threats accompanied by flying objects was another.

"Ca... Calm down, Haruka-chan!" Yukino was desperately trying to hold her berserking friend back by her waist. But Haruka's brute strength was too much for Yukino to handle, and soon the mad blond broke free from her friend's arms. "Run away! Mikoto-chan!" Yukino squeaked.

"DIE!" Haruka howled while picking up another wooden chair and chucking it at the feral girl.

"Eek!" Mikoto ducked, the chair narrowly missed the mark. She ran on all four and hid behind a shocked Mai for protection.

"Are you out of your mind? That's dangerous!" Mai put her arms up to guard the feral girl like a mother hen protecting its chick from a hawk.

"OUTTA MY WAY! I'M GONNA SKIN HER ALIVE!" was Haruka's reply. She was too enraged to be reasoned with. The angry blond then dived at Mikoto. Her attack, however, was neutralized by four pairs of arms. Yukino, as well as Nao, Chie, and Aoi all threw themselves at her.

"LET ME GO! I'M GONNA KILL HER!"

Nao rolled her eyes impatiently at the blond's sheer stupidity. "Are you a moron or what? No one would let you go if you keep yelling death threat like that. What's your problem?"

"MY PROBLEM? MY FUCKING PROBLEM IS I WANNA FUCKING KILL HER AND YOU ARE GETTING IN MY WAY!"

"What a filthy mouth you have, Suzushiro. There is a ten-year-old kid in the house, you know. Youko-sensei, would you mind shooting this wild animal with a tranquilizing dart? There should be some still lying around in your bag after the Fujino incident." Nao chirped sweetly.

Youko frowned at the redhead. "You can't ask me to dart someone every time someone goes homicidal... I'll go get the darts now." _The young girls nowadays. _She shook her head and sighed as she went to grab her bag.

"Would you mind explaining to us all why the hell are you trying to kill Mikoto? What has this child ever done to you?" Mai glared at Haruka with hostile eyes.

The simple question, however, made the blond's face bright red from both insane rage and embarrassment. _I can't tell them that this pervert kissed Yukino and then kissed me, can I?_ "SHUT UP AND LET ME KILL HER!" She screamed.

Youko soon came back with a syringe. "This should calm you down, Suzushiro-san." She said and injected her with mild sedative. A few seconds later, Haruka stopped struggling. They helped the groggy blond up from the floor and let her sit down on the sofa.

"Kill... Kill..."

Yukino sighed and sat down next to her friend. "No, no death threat, and no killing. Mikoto-chan didn't mean any harm when she... did that."

Although sedated, Haruka was not one to surrender even when pumped full of drug. She was waving her arms around like a kid throwing a tantrum, albeit a disoriented and rather quiet one.

"Should we tie her up like we did Fujino? Is there a rope in this place?" Nao looked at Yukino expectedly with an evil grin on her face. _How I miss the old days when I could tie people up at my own whim..._

"No!" Yukino quickly denied the redhead's suggestion and let the sleepy blond rest her head on her lap. "I'll make sure Haruka-chan wouldn't hurt anyone. Don't tie her up... You tied up kaichou-san?"

Nao shrugged. "Long story."

Yukino wasn't sure if she wanted to find out more.

"Hehehehe... I'm lying on Yukino's lap." Haruka suddenly blurted out this drunken remark plus a series of girly giggles.

Mai and Yukino exchanged a concerned look.

"Is that a normal reaction?" Yukino asked with her brows crinkled together.

Youko nodded. "Yup. The drug impairs her motor function and coordination. It could cause similar effects as alcohol. But don't worry, the drug will wear off in a few hours."

"She won't kill me now?" Mikoto popped her head out from behind the busty girl and approached her drowsy attacker cautiously.

"No. She won't. Not now." _But she probably will try to kill you again in a few hours. _Yukino added mentally.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Haruka is scary when she is angry." Mikoto smiled widely and then turned to thank the school nurse. "Youko-sensei, you are good. You make angry Haruka not angry anymore. I love you so much. CHUUUUU!" She jumped the unsuspecting woman and planted a wet kiss on her lips.

_Maybe we've darted the wrong person. _Everyone in the room thought.

Mikoto climbed down from the petrified school nurse and grinned at her friends. Her lips and the area around her mouth was smudged with Youko's red lipstick. "Ah, Nao, you are always so nice to me. I love you too!" She jumped again and this time she knocked the redhead over. "CHUUUUU!"

"Mikoto, STOP!" Mai yelled at her pet, but Mikoto was having way too much fun.

"Kissing is nice! I like kisses." Mikoto squealed excitedly and moved on to her next target.

"Hehehe... Kissy nice..." Haruka giggled as she watched the chaotic scene unfold before her.

"Jailbait... Kissed by a jailbait..." Youko plopped down on the floor.

"Aoi is so nice to me too. Chu..." Mikoto smacked into the back of Chie's hand. The chivalrous knight protected her fair damsel's lips.

"No kissing Aoi for you, brat. I can't allow..."

"CHUUUUU!" The petite girl changed her target and crushed her pouting lips against Chie's. Alas, the unpredictable feral girl one-upped the knight-wanna-be.

"MI-KO-TO..." Aoi's usual tender voice lowered into a dark ominous one.

Mikoto flinched at the sweet girl's murderous aura and fled to the other side of the room. "Aoi SCARY, no kissy for you." She turned and her golden eyes found her next object of affection. "Oh, Alyssa..."

"You kiss, you die." Miyu stood in front of her ojou-sama and glared at the feral girl.

Mikoto pouted at the android. "No kissing? But I love you and Alyssa-chan too."

"No kissing." Miyu repeated. "Go find someone else."

"Oh, good idea." Mikoto agreed and ran upstairs. _I'll kiss Natsuki, I love Natsuki too, and Fujino. They like kissing, they won't be angry at me._

Mai rushed to Nao's side and picked the redhead up by her collar. "What the hell did you do to my Mikoto?" If eyes could kill, Nao would have been slaughtered a hundred times over.

"I didn't do anything. Don't try to blame this one on me." Nao casualy wiped away the lipstick smear on her mouth as if nothing happened, but her slightly redden cheeks were telling a different story. "I have no idea why she's turning into a kissy monster. Maybe it's your fault, you deprived her."

"Kissy... Nice... Hehehe..." The drugged blond giggled.

"At least now we know why Suzushiro tried to kill her." Nao laughed.

* * *

"Natsuki! I love you!" Mikoto busted into the room and squealed, but she stopped before she jumped her raven-haired friend.

"Shhh... Natsuki is sleeping." Shizuru put her index finger on her lips and whispered, she was sitting on the bed with her back leaning against the headboard.

The said sleeping girl was curling up against Shizuru, her head resting on her girlfriend's stomach while her arms latching onto her waist. She was holding the graceful Kyoto beauty as if she would a human-sized jumbo teddy bear.

"Oh, I see. Can't wake Natsuki." Mikoto said with mild disappointment in her voice.

"It sure was noisy downstairs. Anything interesting happened?" The Kyoto girl asked. She wasn't too worried that this quiet chat would wake her girlfriend. The girl slept like a rock after all.

Mikoto frowned. "I don't really understand, but everyone is angry at me."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I told them I love them, and I kissed them, and they got angry." Mikoto looked at Shizuru with hopeful eyes. "I love Natsuki, will she be angry at me if I kiss her?"

Shizuru chuckled at the innocent girl's honest question. "Let's see, Natsuki is shy, so she will definitely get angry. But she is asleep, so if you kiss her now, she probably won't get angry at you. Do you want to try?"

Mikoto furrowed her brows together and considered for a moment, but then she shook her head. "No. Natsuki is scary when she is angry, yup, really scary. Better not make her angry."

Shizuru sighed. "Mikoto is a good girl." _Much better than I was. _She thought. "Come here." She beckoned the girl to come closer. Mikoto did, and Shizuru pecked the girl's forehead and ruffled her bushy hair. "Now go kiss the one you love the most." She said.

Mikoto giggled at the light kiss and touched her forehead with a big grin on her face. "Fujino is nice. I love you too."

"Shizuru." The older girl corrected.

"Yup, Shizuru is nice." Mikoto said, and then left the room with an extra bounce in her steps.

* * *

Erstin squirmed under the pink-haired maid's gentle green gaze. _What am I so nervous for? _

"Pretty girl." Fumi placed one hand on Erstin's shoulder. "Would you tell me your name?"

"Ers... Erstin Ho. Ma'am." She whimpered.

"Erstin. What a pretty name. Now, Erstin-san, which type of tea do you prefer?"

"Heh?"

"Not 'heh.' How about some Earl Gray? It's especially good with black tea flavoured chiffon cake. Would you like some?"

Erstin peered nervously at Nina for support. The blue-haired maid gave her a light nod as her answer.

"Yes, thank you very much." The blond girl squeaked.

Fumi smiled. "Nina, Arika, come sit with us too. Tea tastes best with friends."

* * *

Mikoto knew that the others were not too happy about her, but she didn't expect to see a lynch mob when she went back downstairs.

"Mikoto, it won't hurt. Much." Chie cracked her knuckles.

"We are only going to tie you up, that's all." Aoi clapped her hands together and said in a sickeningly sweet singsong voice.

Mikoto gulped. Her eyes turned to Nao. _Nao won't be angry at me... _She gulped again.

Nao was already tied up to a chair, completed with a piece of duck tape stuck on her mouth. _Can't save you now, kiddo._ The redhead thought. _I was lucky that they spared me the dart treatment. I guess they were saving it for you._

"What's that in your hand?" The feral girl asked the school nurse despite knowing the answer already. There was fear in her slightly trembling voice.

"Dart."

* * *

Natsuki woke up after a restful nap. _This is nice. _She breathed in the familiar scent and let out a small sigh. _Smells like Shizuru. _She thought and nuzzled the 'pillow' with her face. The 'pillow,' however, squirmed underneath her.

"Natsuki is naughty when she wakes up."

The soft Kyoto-ben made the sleepy girl's eyes snap wide open. She was wide awake now.

_What the..._ "Shizuru..." Natsuki raised her head from the Kyoto girl's neck and found herself lying on top of her girlfriend. "When did you get on my bed?" She asked with flushed cheeks. _When did I get on you?_

Shizuru chuckled. "This time, it wasn't my fault, my sweet Natsuki. Your bedtime manner was rather, what's the word... Rough. Yes, rough. I was only sitting beside you, but you dragged me down and trapped me with your own weight. I couldn't get away..."

"Stop, stop. Don't continue." Natsuki cringed.

Shizuru continued. "You were rather bold. I was startled when you suddenly grabbed my breasts and used them as your pillow. And then you moved up and started sucking on my neck in your sleep..."

"I say stop!"

_Can't hear you._ "I figured you must be dreaming about food, because you were drooling quite a bit. I am curious. Did I taste good?"

Natsuki silenced the merciless teasing the most effective way she could think of. She sealed the girl's lips with her own.

* * *

"Get down!" Mai yelled.

"No!" Mikoto yelled back. She was sitting on a high branch of a tall tree in the back yard. The lynch mob, no, Chie, Aoi, Youko, Mai, and Miyu had chase her up to the tree in their failed attempt to capture her.

"Is she a human or a cat..." Chie mused. "Mikoto, get down. We promise we won't hurt you." She lied.

Mikoto saw through the simple trick. "No! Chie is lying."

"Wow, that one was obvious." Aoi laughed.

"Come on down. It's been hours. You can't stay up there forever." Mai said impatiently.

"No!" Mikoto hugged the tree branch tightly.

"Shall I chop down the tree? It's highly inefficient to wait any longer." Miyu transformed her arm into a long blade and prepared to attack.

"No!" Both Mai and Mikoto yelled.

Miyu's brow twitched, just slightly. She transformed her arm back and stared at Mai. "Deal with the girl any way you see fit, but I will not tolerate any indecent act toward Alyssa ojou-sama in the future." The android then marched back into the house.

* * *

They had tea, and some chiffon cake. They also chatted a little, mostly about the tea and the cake they had, but that was all. Fumi never asked her where she came from or how she ended up drowning in the ocean.

Erstin wasn't sure if she should feel relieved just yet. If the Director had asked, she didn't know what she would have answered. _I would probably lie, but they would see through that immediately, and they would hate me. But if I told them the truth, they would still hate me._

Fumi even asked Nina to personally look after the blond girl.

"Eh? Fumi-sama, what about me?" Arika pouted. She was also quite fond of Erstin.

"You will be responsible for the other girl. Bring her here and we'll have tea together."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: I like drugged up Haruka. She is cute when she is mellow. Please read and review.

Since it's exam week... Pop Quiz! What's the significance of the black tea flavoured chiffon cake in this story? (Wow, this one really sounds like an exam question...) I'll post the answer outside my office... No, I mean I'll post the answer at the end of next chapter. Mikoto will give you a kiss if you answer correctly


	16. Headache

Chapter 16: Headache

* * *

Tomoe woke up to two sky blue pools hanging over her face. "Kyaa!" She screamed and jerked backward in surprise, almost hitting her head in the process. 

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you." Arika gave the girl a sheepish smile.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Tomoe demanded, she scanned her surrounding cautiously while sizing up the brown-haired young girl before her.

"Relax, you are in an infirmary. I picked you up a while ago. I am Yumemia Arika, you can call me Arika-chan. What's your name?"

Tomoe instinctively raised her hand to touch her left ear. _My GEM... _Her stormy eyes darkened by the memory of the battle. _Viola... _

_"Kannin na." My graceful goddess said in that sweet melodic voice of hers before she swung down her blade. 'Ahh... So I am going to die by her hands' was what I thought at that moment. It's not so bad, maybe I will be engraved into her memory forever, as a girl she murdered. But she didn't kill me. Why didn't she kill me? Her blade only grazed my neck, it barely drew any blood. What's the point of defeating an opponent if one doesn't claim the ultimate prize? _

"Are you alright?" Arika observed the girl's odd behaviour and thought the girl was concerned about her jadded haircut. "Sorry about your hair. I found you like that. It should grow back in no time. If you like I can give you a new haircut and even it out. I may not look like it, but I'm quite good with a pair of scissers."

"No. My hair is fine." Tomoe denied quickly. If there were anything she was happy about, that would be her hair. _Viola cut it, so I will keep it that way. It's her mark._

"Alright. How are you feeling right now? You were pretty beaten up when I found you. Are you hungry? I almost forgot. You haven't told me your name yet."

Tomoe felt like hitting the talkative girl in the nose. _That ought to shut her up._ She thought, but then decided against it. _I can use this stupid girl._ She mustered her most innocent expression and smiled apologetically at Arika. "Arika-chan, right? I'm terribly sorry, but I can't seem to remember my name. I must have hit my head."

* * *

"This is like a vacation in a remote Tropical island." Kurger raised the glass of pineapple juice in her hand and took a small sip. The sun was almost completely swallowed by the horizon, dyeing the sky and ocean with the colours of dancing flames. "They have been awfully quiet for a while. Have they given up?" She was referring to the mob and the girl on the tree. 

Viola took a look at them and laughed softly. "The girl with orange hair hasn't left yet, and of course the cat girl is still up on that tree. They are persistant, like you."

Kruger frowned. "I'm not persistent."

"No, you are not persistent. You are stubborn."

The young Otome puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "I'm not stubborn either."

Viola giggled and poked her girl's cheek with her finger.

* * *

"Maybe... maybe we should... stop." Shizuru somehow managed to complete the sentence between moans. 

"Um huh." Natsuki groaned something that sounded like a positive response, but she didn't even pause. Her tongue glided up slowly along the valley of her girlfriend's creamy breasts, leaving a path of gleaming sweat and saliva. She reached up and let out a long-supressed growl as her teeth grazed the other girl's throat, her movement uncannily resembled that of a hungry wolf feasting upon a defenceless lamb.

It began as an innocent kiss. Natsuki was only trying to make Shizuru stop with her merciless teasing, but it soon turned into something entirely different. Kiss turned into kisses, and hands started to wander. Natsuki had no experience controling her libido, she didn't even know she had a libido before this day. As for Shizuru, she had been supressing her desire for the raven-haired girl since the day they met, she could not resist any advance Natsuki made.

That's why they were in this predicament. Shizuru knew that the responsible thing to do was to stop what they were doing. Natsuki was still recovering from multiple rib fractures and a broken arm, she was in no condition to be involoved in any strenuous physical activity. But at the rate they were going, strenuous physical activity was bound to ensue.

"Natsu... ki. You're... injured."

"Um huh." Lick, lick, lick. Her tongue drew across the Kyoto beauty's delicate jaw line and reached her smooth earlobe. Flick.

Shizuru let out a ragged breath and tossed her head back, her chestnut hair spilled across the pillow. The pleasant weight on top of her shifted, and she found herself being straddled by a very flushed, almost out of breath Natsuki. The girl was nibbling her ear, and her none broken hand had sneaked inside her blouse, groping her naked skin with fervent urgency. She could tell by the tiny gurgling whimpers Natsuki made that her young girlfriend was losing control. _This is so not helping._ She thought, but her mind soon went blank when the stray hand underneath her blouse shoved open the front clasp of her bra with a firm tuck.

_Hot._

_Hothothothothot. It's burning._ Natsuki huffed heavilly while nuzzling her face against the other girl's collarbone. The heat inside her chest was almost unbearable. Shizuru's exposed skin was far from cold, however, it felt oddly calming when she pressed her feverish cheeks (and lips, and tongue) against it. She vaguely understood that she wanted 'something' from the Kyoto girl, but couldn't quite figure out what exactly she wanted. Meanwhile, she found the lacy fabric seperating her mouth from her girlfriend's torso to be plain unforgivable, so she shoved it aside. _That's better. _She thought giddily, and leaned down to claim her prize.

Shizuru's fingers dug into those silken midnight tress and held the girl's head in place. She should push her away, it's the responsible thing to do, it's the right thing to do. But she didn't. She arched her back and tightened her hold, offering herself to the beast instead. Fujino Shizuru was never the responsible one, and she never cared much about doing what's right, that was, until she heard a painful yelp from the girl in her arms. "Natsuki?" She sat up straight with some difficulties and examined her girl's face with great concern.

"It's nothing." Natsuki said, but the knot between her brows and her sagged shoulders were telling a different story.

Shizuru felt like slapping herself. _I grabbed her too hard, I must have hurt her. _She carefully placed her palm over the injured girl's side and was not suprised to see the girl winced to the lightest touch. "Kannin na, Natsuki, I should have been more careful. Does it hurt much?"

"Not really."

_Liar._ "Maybe we should get out of this room." _Natsuki, me, alone in a room with a comfy bed. Bad idea._

Natsuki nodded. _Maybe some fresh air will clear my head. I feel like a hormon-raging teenager... Wait, I AM a hormon-raging teenager. _She was deeply disturbed by the thought. _If I turned into another sex-crazed redhead bimbo... No, I'll kill myself first._

Nao sneezed downstairs.

"Is my Natsuki alright? Why the pouting?" Shizuru brought her hand up to cup the raven-haired girl's face. "Is my baby girl disappointed? We can always pick up where we left off some other time, if you like."

Natsuki cringed and her cheeks turned beet red in embarrassment. "I'm not pouting, and I'm not disappointed either. And would you stop calling me by some weird nickname?"

Shizuru tilted her head in faigned puzzlement. "Weird nickname? Like what, 'baby girl'? It's not weird, is it?"

"It's totally weird! I'm not a baby!"

The older girl smirked. It was the classic 'Shizuru smirk' the young biker had become so painfully familiar with. Natsuki suddenly realized that she had dug herself into a deep deep hole.

"You certainly were acting like one, Na-tsu-ki-chan. I clearly recall that you were quite enjoying yourself when you..."

Natsuki covered Shizuru's mouth before the girl could finish her sentence. "DON'T SAY IT!" She could feel all the blood rushing into her head. _This woman will never let me live this one down! _Her gaze fell on her girlfriend's exposed front, and the redness on her cheeks turned a purplish hue. _What perverted demon possessed me to do... 'this' and... 'that' to Shizuru? _She bowed her head down in immense mortification, and she saw herself still sitting (straddling) on Shizuru's lap. "Eek!" She pushed herself off the other girl and almost fell off the bed, but of course her protective girlfriend didn't let her fall.

"Natsuki should be more careful, otherwise down will come baby, cradle, and all."

"Would you stop with the baby reference?" Natsuki almost popped a vein. "And PLEASE button up your shirt." She fixed her gaze somewhere on the floor, finding the simple white carpet to be absolutely fascinating.

There was no way Shizuru could pass up this golden oppertunity to tease her easily embarrassed ice hime. With a slightly trembling voice, she said to her girl: "Take responsibility."

Natsuki snapped her head up and stared at the older girl in shock. _Why the fuck did she say it like I just knocked her up? _"NO!" She yelled. "Do it yourself!"

Shizuru sighed, her burgendy eyes darkened with (fake) sorrow. "I understand. Natsuki had all the fun, but she doesn't want to deal with the responsibility that comes with it. There is no other way, I will clean up the mess all by myself. How lonely..."

"AAAAARGH! GAH! ALRIGHT! Enough with the guilt trip! I'll do it!" She grunted impatiently. "Now hold still!"

_Natsuki is so much fun to tease. _The devious Kyoto fox grinned at Natsuki's unsteady hand as the bashful girl tried to reclasp Shizuru's lacy white bra. She could see beads of sweats beginning to form on the edge of the girl's hairline.

_Damn it! Stop shaking you stupid hand!_ Natsuki cursed under her breath as she struggled to pull the two parts of the clasp together but without much success. "Don't just sit there, at least give me a hand, will ya?" _This damn thing is so tight, I can't do this with only one hand. Why did it come off so easily when it's a fucking chore to put it back? Total crappy design... _She glared angrily at the uncooperative bra, but was distracted by its contents. _She has really nice breasts..._

"**_Dum dum dum-dum... Dum dum dum-dum..." _**

_What the fuck? "**Dum dum dum..." **What the hell is this? This music... Don't tell me... NOOOOOOOO! _Natsuki froze, her eyes widened in horror.

_**"**_**_Chi-chi-chi-chi OPPAI boin boin. Chi-chi-chi-chi OPPAI boin boin. Moge moge moge. Moge moge-moge chichi wo moge! Moge-puirin poyon-moge moge-pororon puyon-moge..."_**

Natsuki jumped up from the bed and banged her head against the nearest wall.

"Natsuki!"

* * *

Haruka woke up from a very pleasant dream and found herself lying on a sofa. _How the hell did I end up here? _She frowned. 

"Ah, Haruka-chan. Are you feeling alright?"

_Yukino._ The blond blinked and looked at her friend's concerned face. "I'm alright." She said, and blinked again. _Something is not right._ The memory of the stolen kisses came rushing back into her mind. "KILL!" She jumped up from the sofa but was quickly held back by the glass-wearing girl.

"Haruka-chan, please don't. It's not right to act so rashly. Please calm down." Yukino held her friend's sleeve tightly, afraid that if she let go, Haruka would really murder Mikoto in blind rage.

"But that pervert..." _kissed you._

Yukino shook her head solemly. "Mikoto-chan didn't mean any harm. Maybe her action was wrong, but her intention was pure. You can't fault her for being innocent."

"Innocent my ass..."

"Haruka-chan! Please!"

The blond sighed loudly. She couldn't argue with her friend when the usually timid girl was in one of her rare righteous plus stubborn mode. "Alright, alright! Sheesh, Yukino. You are way too nice for your own good. But I'll tell you right now, if she ever tries anything like that again, I swear I will flea her alive..."

"You meant 'flay'..."

"That's what I said."

"..."

"Ah!" Haruka suddenly remembered something really important. "Yukino, what time is it?"

The young girl checked her watch and answered. "Five to seven. Why?"

The blond gave her a toothy grin and grabbed her hand. "I'll show you something really cool. Follow me."

_Always_. She thought, and squeezed her friend's hand just a little tighter than necessary. _Always, Haruka-chan._

* * *

Natsuki woke up with a headache, which was to be expected for someone who had her second head trauma on top of the first one. She groaned and touched her re-bandaged head. _Aw... This really hurts._ She winced. 

"Natsuki?" Shizuru asked in a half-choked voice.

The raven-haired girl frowned in confusion. _Why does Shizuru sound like she has been crying? _She sat up from the bed and touched the older girl's face. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Kannin na, Natsuki. Kannin na. It's my fault. I won't make you do anything you don't want to again, I promise."

"Shizuru... What's going on?" Natsuki was completly baffled by the situation. One minute they were kissing on the bed, and the next she woke up to a splitting headache and a very upset Shizuru. "Shhh... Don't cry. There, there." She held her girlfriend in her arms and kissed the girl's forehead. "Now try to calm down and tell me what happened."

Shizuru bit her bottom lip. "You really scared me, Natsuki. Don't do that to me again."

Natsuki's frown deepened. "Shizuru, I really have no idea what you are talking about. The last thing I remember was... we were... Ahmm... you know..." She lowered her voice to a bare whisper. "Kissing." She coughed and continued. "And then I woke up."

Shizuru stared at the girl as if she suddenly sprouted a second head. "You have no memory of what happened in between?"

"Nope. What happened?"

"You deliberately banged your head against the wall so hard, you knocked yourself out, literally. See that?" She pointed at a huge dent in the wall. "You did that."

Natsuki's jaw dropped. "Why would I do that?"

Shizuru sighed. "I wish I knew."

"So, how long did I pass out?"

"About two hours."

"That long, eh." Natsuki looked out the window and saw the night sky, but she couldn't see the moon from this angle.

* * *

"You coming down yet?" Mai asked for the millionth time. 

"Nope." Mikoto answered for the millionth time.

Mai sighed.

Mikoto's stomach growled.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Yes, I was catering, so sue me.

2. I use "HiME" when I want to emphasize the ability or identity, but I use "hime" as the Japanese word for "princess." Oh, and please read and review.

3. The song Natsuki heard inside her head was "Chichi wo Moge" (Groping Breasts) from "Konjiki no Gash Bell" (Zatch Bell). I absolutely love the original Japanese version of the song. Go to my **PROFILE** and click on the link to watch the clip.

4. Answer for the previous pop quiz: Black tea flavoured chiffon cake was Mashiro's favourite food.

(Beta's Notes: Wooo...very hot chapter –splashes some water on her face-)


	17. Luminescence

Chapter 17: Luminescence

* * *

Haruka had been planning this trip for a while. In her perfect plan, she and Yukino would arrive at the summer cottage and began their vacation with a morning worth of sun bath and fruit punch. Then they would go to a country club nearby and enjoy their quiet lunch in their reserved table. In the afternoon they would take a dip in the seawater, maybe even build a sand castle or split some watermelons on the private beach. When the sun set, they would watch it together and wait for the moon to rise. It's fullmoon tonight, she triple checked. She planned to surprise her best friend with the coolest gift she could think of. 

Today was their fourteenth anniversary.

Her meticulously laid out plan was completely trashed. She didn't plan to have her home invaded, she didn't plan to see two Fujino suck face, hell, she didn't plan to have Yukino's and her own face sucked by some cat girl, and she most definitely didn't plan to be darted like a zoo escapee. It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation just for the two of them.

But Suzushiro Haruka was not someone who gave up when things did not work out the way she wanted, no no. Suzushiro Haruka was a woman with an iron will and perhaps an infinite amount of guts. Her plan for the day might have been ruined, but she would not allow her surprise gift to be spoiled.

Haruka held Yukino's hand tightly and led her toward the back yard. She merely scoffed at the tied up Nao and glared at the 'tree-hugger' Mikoto when she passed by them. She was a woman on a mission, and nothing could stop her.

* * *

The living room was empty when Natsuki and Shizuru got downstairs. Well, almost empty. 

"Nao? What happened to you?" Natsuki stared at the tied up redhead with an amused grin on her face.

"Natsuki, Yuuki-san cannot answer your question. Perhaps you should take off that duck tape on her mouth first." Shizuru politely 'reminded' her girlfriend.

Nao was shooting daggers from her enraged green eyes.

The biker nodded in agreement. "Oh, I see. My bad, I didn't notice you can't talk. How inconsiderate of me."

_Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. _Nao glared at the raven-haired girl. _Untie me, bitch._ She had been tied up for five hours, as one could imagine, she was in a very foul mood.

"This is such an ironic situation, I must say. Yuuki Nao the bondage queen, all tied up like her usual male victims. It must be divine retribution. Now I'm really curious, who tied you up? Oops, I forgot again. You can't talk now." Natsuki giggled.

"Ara, Natsuki is so forgetful." Shizuru put her arms around her girlfriend's waist from behind and felt the bashful girl stiffened at the contact. Before Natsuki could protest, the Kyoto beauty spoke to the bound and gagged redhead. "Glaring at my most important person with those eyes, Yuuki-san, you are very forgetful too."

Nao's eyes widened in horror.

"S... Shizuru..." Natsuki turned her head to look up at the older girl's calm face, and a sudden revelation struck her: Shizuru was feeling insecure. The public display of affection, the outward threat, they were only Shizuru's indirect (but not so subtle) way of telling her that something was not right. _Baka... _Natsuki relaxed into the chestnut-haired girl's embrace and smiled. "Say, how would you suggest to take this off?" She points at the piece of tape on Nao's mouth.

Shizuru blinked and rested her chin on the shorter girl's shoulder.

Natsuki's cheeks reddened, but she didn't try to wiggle away, even with Nao gawking at them. _I can do this, I can't control those damn blushes, but I can at least stay still. _"It's going to be either fast and very painful, or slow and a little bit less painful. Which one do you prefer?" She asked.

"Can I have both?" Shizuru was in the mood to be spoiled, and her young girlfriend didn't let her down.

"Of course." Natsuki held on the edge of the tape and slowly peeling it off the redhead's mouth.

"Yo muda faka I'm gonna ki..." Nao's muffled curse died down in her throat when she saw the mischievous glint in her tormentor's eyes. _No!_

Natsuki ripped off the rest of the tape with one swift motion.

* * *

Outside on the private beach, Chie, Aoi, Viola, Kruger, Miyu, Alyssa, and Youko were sitting in a circle and sharing ghost stories. Youko passed a lit candle to Viola. It's the Otome's turn. 

"My turn?" Viola smiled serenely. The dim candle light flickered, making the smile on the Otome's face seem ethereal. "Ghost stories... I'm afraid the only ghost stories I know are from personal experiences. If you don't mind..."

Youko gulped, Aoi grabbed her girlfriend's hand, Alyssa snuggled up to her android guardian, but Kruger crossed her arms and faked a brave face.

"It happened a month ago, at the same fullmoon night, that's when I was first told about the legend of the howling banshee..."

"What are you all doing here?" A stern voice came from behind Chie and Aoi, making the couple jump and scream.

"Holy shit!" Chie turned to glare at the person behind her. "Suzushiro-san? What the hell did you do that for? My life span just decreased by ten years."

"My heart almost leapt out my throat..." Aoi took in a long breath.

Yukino chuckled. "Sorry about that, Haruka-chan didn't mean to do that."

"We are sharing ghost stories. Would you care to join?" Viola offered.

Haruka snorted. "Ha! We don't have time for this stupid game. Now put that candle off, it's too bright."

"Too bright? This?" Kruger frowned at the blond. "Too bright for what? Is there something wrong with your eyes? It's a candle, not a torch."

"I say it's too bright, then it's too bright, damn it." Haruka rudely snatched the candle from Viola's hand and blew it off.

"Kyaaaaaaa..." A long, nerve-wrecking shriek suddenly came from nowhere.

"What the fuck!" Haruka jumped and squeaked. "Who the fuck made that sound?"

"Ara, maybe it's the howling banshee." Viola grinned as a few faces turned green under the pale moonlight.

* * *

"Stupid bitch!" Nao screamed. 

"Isn't that nice, Nao. I took the tape off your mouth, now you can talk all you want. How would you like to thank me?" Natsuki laughed at the red rectangular tape mark around the redhead's mouth. Nao looked quite comical with those clownish swollen lips.

"Fuck you!"

"Ara, I can't allow you to do that."

Nao rolled her eyes at the former kaichou. "Right, right. Kuga is your Highness's possession, only you are allowed to screw the bike dyke..."

"I can stick this right back if you don't shut up." Natsuki warned. "Now, if you ask nicely, I might consider to untie you."

The redhead snorted. Yuuki Nao didn't know how to ask anything nicely.

"My, my. How long has it been? Hours, I suppose. When was the last time you went to the washroom? Not like it's my business to know, really. But I think you might appreciate some hot tea, I wouldn't mind fetching you a cup..."

Nao fidgeted in her seat.

Natsuki's lips curled up into a sadistic lopsided grin. _Nice, Shizuru. So that's how you like to play it... _"Coffee would be nice, don't you think? Or maybe you would like some watermelon? The weather is awfully hot today." _Explode, Nao. Explode._

"You two are horrible, sadistic, spiteful..."

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" The Kyoto girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

The redhead bit on her tongue.

"What was that? Did you say something? I can't hear you so well." Natsuki asked innocently.

"... Untie me."

"What's the magic word?"

_NOW, BITCH._ "... Please."

"Good girl. Now that's not so hard, is it?" Natsuki went over behind the chair and undid the knots.

The moment the redhead was free, she dashed toward the washroom as if there were fire up her ass.

"Wow, she can really run." Natsuki mused.

Shizuru stared at her girlfriend with a concerned expression on her face. "Why did Natsuki do that? You were being unnecessarily mean."

"You tell me." The younger girl brought her hand up and brushed Shizuru's face with her thumb. "You were angry at her. I thought you would feel better if I tease her a little. Did it work?"

Shizuru closed her eyes and leaned into the hand on her face. "Natsuki is so sweet."

"Baka." Natsuki blushed. "So tell me, why were you angry at her?"

"Secret." The Kyoto girl chirped.

Natsuki narrowed her eyes. "Don't get smart with me. Just tell me already."

"Make me." Shizuru taunted.

Natsuki took the bait. "Bring it on." She said, and attacked the other girl's waist with deadly tickles. Shizuru let out a series of very uncharacteristic girly giggles and ran for the back door. Natsuki followed her out.

"Crazy bubuzuke bitch." Nao was planning to make some more new wounds on the already injured girl's body, but she overheard the conversation when she came back from the washroom, and all her anger dissipated. _I don't need YOU saving me, Kuga, as if I were afraid of your psychopathic girlfriend..._ She sat down on the sofa and bit her nail. _Fuck it._

* * *

"There is no such thing as a howling banshee." Haruka scoffed at the smiling girl who had the same face as the former kaichou. "Now you people stand back and be quiet." She ordered. "Take off your shoes, Yukino. We are going into the water." Then she proceeded to take off her own shoes. 

Yukino had no idea what her friend was trying to achieve, but she obeyed nonetheless.

"You are not trying to drown yourself, right?" Kruger eyed them suspiciously. "You don't strike me as the suicidal type."

"Will ya shut up?" Haruka snapped. "Let's go, Yukino." She held out her hand to her friend.

The shy brown-haired girl blushed slightly and took the outstretched hand into her own. She followed the blond toward the ocean, and the moment their bare feet touched the water, the most amazing thing happened.

The water glowed.

* * *

"This is so beautiful..." Yukino dragged her feet in the ankle deep water, sending numerous tiny blue sparkles swirled and glittered in the wakes. "Haruka-chan, do you know what these light are?" 

Haruka furrowed her brows together and tried hard to pronounce the unfamiliar word. "Dino... dingo... flag... later... I think."

"Dingo? Later?"

"Dinoflagellate." Miyu's cool voice made those two turn to stare at her. The android was holding Alyssa's hand and gazing gently at her ojou-sama's smiling face. "Microscopic algae of Phylum _Dinophyta_, commonly known as dinoflagellates."

"You mean, those blue sparkles are tiny algae?" Yukino was impressed. "Wow, that's interesting."

Alyssa drew her hand carelessly across the surface of the water. "Like Miyu." She said, and raised her head to give her guardian a loving smile. "Beautiful blue light. Deadly too. Let's go deeper." She asked, and Miyu hoisted the child up in her arms.

Haruka blinked. "What do you mean, 'deadly'?"

Miyu and Alyssa both ignored the blond and went on their way.

"You don't know?" Youko also got in the water. "Dinoflaggelates are poisonous. They kill a lot of fish and other marine invertebrates every year."

Haruka squeaked. "Poisonous? Poisonous! No one told me that! Wait... If it's poisonous, then why are you in the water too?" She eyed the school nurse suspiciously. "You are not trying to scare me, are you?"

Youko looked amused. "As long as you refrain from eating it, they won't do any harm to the human body, that is, at this level of concentration. But when the water turns red, then try to stay away from it. It could cause irritation to your upper respiratory system when you breathe in the airborne particles."

"What about those idiots?" The blond pointed at Chie and Aoi, who were having a splash fight a short distance away.

"Well, as long as they take a shower afterward, I wouldn't be too worried." Youko chuckled. "I better go tell them."

* * *

Mikoto stood up from the high branch and stared at the glowing sea with open mouth. "Mai! Look!" She pointed at the bright blue light excitedly. "It's glowing!" 

The busty girl gasped at the astonishing view. "It really is..."

A giggling Shizuru came out the back door and stopped at the porch when she saw the orange-haired girl and her pet. She didn't expect to see anyone here. A few seconds later, Natsuki emerged from the back door as well. Both of them froze at the sight of the ghastly cobalt light in the sea.

"Shizuru..." Natsuki took the chestnut-haired girl's trembling hand and gave it a firm squeeze. _The light... They look so much like the green sparks surrounding us when we... _"Let's go." She said, and led her girlfriend toward the glowing sea. "It's beautiful."

Shizuru followed without any resistance.

"Mai, let's go see that pretty light too." Mai squealed while bouncing around on the tree.

Mai frowned at the feral girl's potentially dangerous behaviour. "Settle down, Mikoto. Get down or sit still. Don't jump around, you'll get yourself hur... Kyaa!"

The petite girl lost her footing and slipped. However, her inhuman feline reflex saved her from a painful fall. She dangled upside down on the branch with bent knees. Such feat could only be pulled off by her and perhaps professional gymnasts.

"I told you to be more careful! You could have broken your neck!" Mai put her hands up to hold onto the feral girl's torso. The loose T-shirt Mikoto wore flipped down and revealed too much of her naked skin underneath. Fortunately the young girl was wearing a short, not a skirt, so at least her underwear was safe from public view.

"Mai."

"Yes?" Mai blinked and found herself staring into two golden orbs. Then she felt two small hands behind her head.

Mikoto pulled.

Mai closed her eyes.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Yay for Spiderman kiss! (Beta: Hell yeah!)

2. I got the idea of glowing sea from my phycology class when a guest lecturer showed the class photos of bioluminescent dinoflagellates. It's really pretty. Check my **PROFILE** to see the picture.


	18. Confession

Chapter 18: Confession

* * *

_How long are they going to keep that up?_ Nao stood at the back porch and watched the kissing pair with an amused grin on her face.

Mai and the upside down Mikoto had been kissing quite animatedly for a while. They were so engrossed in their oral entanglement, they had no idea they were being watched.

_Good God. Mikoto can really use her tongue, she isn't called a catgirl for nothing. Someone is going to have a very satisfying sex life. I guess Mikoto won't be needing my 'guidance' anymore. _Feeling strangely lonely, Nao shrugged off the unpleasant emptiness in her chest and left the two lip-locked (tongue-locked) lovebirds to their business.

* * *

The stretch of beach was gradually swallowed by the advancing tide. As the tide got higher, the waves grew higher as well. Calm glowing water turned to walls of ghastly cobalt flames as the water surged with the force of the rising tide. The wind was also picking up speed, and in turn the ocean grew more turmoil.

"Hmph. Looks like a typhoon is coming." Natsuki commented. She was only watching the glowing sea from a good distance away because any sensible person wouldn't carelessly get into the salty seawater while having wounds all over one's body.

Speaking of sensibility, Kruger learned that the hard way. She had completely forgotten about the tiny cuts she received from her fight with Miyu earlier that day and jumped head first into the ocean when she saw those pretty blue sparks. Needless to say, she was ushered out of the water by her concerned girlfriend, and straight to the shower they went.

Shizuru was secretly relieved that Natsuki couldn't play with the glowing water. She didn't think she would fare too well seeing blue sparks glittering all around her most beloved person. The Kyoto born still had nightmare of Natsuki greensparking while leaving her all alone. Of course, she never told anyone about her nightmare, but she knew Natsuki understood her unspoken fear. The fact that the biker's soft warm hand was squeezing tightly at her own cold one the whole time was enough indication.

_Natsuki is so sweet. How fortunate I am to be allowed to know her as the tender girl she is, instead of the uncaring ice queen she makes others believe her to be. _Leaning down, Shizuru wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl and whispered. "Aishiteru."

Not surprisingly, Natsuki's natural reaction was to blush at her girlfriend's confession of love. For a second there, Shizuru was a little worried that the girl's head might explode. However, the bashful biker didn't yell at the Kyoto girl nor faint from embarrassment. She mumbled something hastily to her girlfriend, and it took Shizuru a few seconds to decipher the barely audible grunt of a reply.

It was 'I love you too', and it was clear that Natsuki didn't mean it as a friend, but as a girlfriend. The light peck on her lips following the reply told her that.

Then it was Shizuru's turn to do a ripe tomato impression.

"Look at those two. No wonder Nao called them 'the Honeymooners'." Chie grinned at the embracing couple, although slightly disappointed that she had left her cameraphone back in the cottage.

"Duh!" Aoi hit her forehead with her palm. "Nao! I totally forgot! We didn't untie her. She is going to be so pissed!"

"Good guess." Nao snickered and cracked her knuckles. Before the duo even had a chance to defend themselves, the redhead had jumped them from behind, and then it's a start of another round of splash fight.

"Girls, it's getting cold, we should all head back to the house. It looks like rain." The only responsible adult waved at everyone in the water to get their attention. As the school nurse, Youko didn't want to see any of them getting sick while in her care.

Most of them complied, but not Haruka.

"We'll be back in a minute." Haruka waved back at the woman. She wanted to spend some alone time with her best friend.

"Haruka-chan?"

The blond puffed her cheeks up. "I went through all that trouble to show YOU the glowing stuff, not them." She was sulking a little. "So? Do you like it?"

"Heh?" Yukino blinked.

Haruka crossed her arms. "The gift, what else. Do you like the gift I got you?"

"What gift?"

Haruka was close to ripping her hair out in frustration. "The glowing dingo... flag thingy of course. Come on, do you like it or not?"

Yukino finally figured out what her friend was trying to say. She smiled shyly and nodded. "I like it very much, Haruka-chan." _Tottemo sukidesu, Haruka-chan._

The blond grinned at the reply. "Great, I'm glad you like it. Happy anniversary. Now let's go back before it rains." She took her friend's hand and headed toward the cottage, but Yukino just stood there with her head bowed.

_I should tell her. It's wrong to keep lying to her. I have to tell her... I can't tell her. I am so afraid... _

"Yukino?" The timid girl's hand was trembling in her own. Haruka's brows knitted together in concern.

"... very much." Came a breathy whimper.

Haruka took a step closer. "I can't hear you."

Yukino's palms were sweating. She took a deep breath and tried again. "I... very much." The sentence was barely louder than a whisper, her wimpy voice was easily drowned out by the sounds of waves crashing against the beach.

Haruka's frown deepened. "What do I always tell you? You've got to speak up, otherwise no one will be able to hear..."

"I like you very much." She felt she might have a panic attack right there and then. _Oh God, oh God, oh God. Now I've done it, I've really gone and said it. What do I do now? _The timid girl squeezed her eyes shut and waited to be rejected out right. Her face was turning slightly green because she was so scared, she forgot to breathe.

"Yukino..." Haruka sighed and scratched her head. "I know that already."

"Heh?" Yukino shot her head up and stared at her best friend with her mouth hanging open. _She knew? _"But how... Why..."

"Well, it's pretty obvious, actually. Let's see..." Haruka counted with her fingers. "You always said you were going to marry me back in kindergarten; you doodled in your notebooks about us kissing; you always blush when I hold your hand; you wrote in your diary about how much you like me and your mom read it and told my mom and my mom told me; you made me chocolate every Valentine's Day but left it at home and your mom passed it to my mom and my mom passed it to me and I had to put it back because it's not right to eat it without your permission..."

Yukino plopped down on the sandy beach in defeat. "You... you may stop now. That's enough."

"But I got more..."

"Just stop, please." _Spare me the embarrassment..._

"Well, if you say so."

Yukino wasn't sure if she should cry or laugh at this point. All those sleepless nights spent suffering over her impossible love, all those frustrated tears shed over the guilt and shame of her sexuality, now they all seemed moronically pointless. _She knew. She knew it all along, yet she never said anything... _Yukino felt cheated.

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" She asked, her tone slightly more accusing than she had liked. _It's not Haruka-chan's fault, I can only blame myself, but... _"You are so cruel." Her voice broke, and the tears that were threatening to come out finally did.

"Yu... Yukino..." Haruka knelt down and put her hand on her friend's head awkwardly. She was used to defend a crying Yukino against bullies or flying cockroaches or whatever that might come at them, but she had no idea what to do when she herself was the cause for upsetting the tender girl. "Don't cry. I'm stupid so I don't know what exactly I did wrong, but I know it's all my fault. You can hit me if you like."

"Yukino took off her glasses and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I don't want to hit you." She said and put her glasses back on.

"Come on, just hit me. It will make you feel better." The blond lured.

"I am not going to hit you."

"Come on, hit me."

"I don't..."

"Hit me!"

Yukino clenched her fists and hit her best friend square in the solar plexus. The light but well positioned jab made the blond double over and hiss in pain. "Ah! I'm so sorry, Haruka-chan!. I didn't mean to hit you that hard." She cringed at Haruka's pained expression.

"I'm ok, don't worry about me. How about you? Are you feeling better now?" Haruka asked while rubbing her aching stomach.

The timid girl nodded, her head still bowed, but she was not crying anymore. Instead, she was wearing a dark blush on her cheeks. _What should I do now? _Yukino's mind was still teetering on the brink of an all out panic.

The bright fullmoon light made the redness on the bashful girl's face easy to see. Haruka wasn't sure if her friend was really alright like she claimed to be. "Are you sure you are alright? I'm pretty sturdy, you know, you can hit me again and again until you are completely satisfied."

Yukino shook her head. "I don't think violence is the solution here." She paused and bit her bottom lip, trying to control her voice so that it wouldn't sound too emotional. "Why did you not tell me about this sooner?"

Haruka crossed her arms and answered. "I thought you didn't want me to know, with all that secrecy and all. So I tried to respect your wish. I figured you must have your reasons. Besides, you are still in high school, much too young to rush into a relationship. Young people nowadays need to have higher moral fatigue like we do."

"You meant 'moral fibre'..."

"That's what I said. You should wait until you are at least eighteen. Don't be like that bubuzuke-onna, corrupting underage youths everywhere she goes..."

Yukino blinked at Haruka's comments. _So does that mean Haruka-chan was only opposing Fujino-san and Natsuk-san's relationship because Natsuki-san was too young? No... It can't be just that. _Now she was confused, and she had to clear that up. "Haruka-chan, I thought you are homophobic."

"What?" Haruka was appalled by that suggestion. "You thought what? What made you think I'm homophobic? I may be traditional but I am not a gay-hater!"

"But you said 'as a female, having affection toward another female is disgusting' that night when we saw Fujino-san kissing Natsuki-san."

"Well..." Haruka fidgeted while trying to find the right words to explain herself. "I guess I did say something like that, huh... But to be honest, if Fujino were a man, I would still be outraged for what had happened that night. She was the President of the Student Council for crying out loud. And there she went and sexually harassed her best friend in her sleep. I was angry and extremely disappointed, so I chose the worst words to attack her. It's a low blow, I know, but I didn't really mean it, I just wanted to hurt her, like how she had hurt me. What she did was a total let down that was unfitting of being my rival."

Yukino felt her heart might explode with overjoy. "You mean... you are not homophobic?"

Haruka's brow twitched impatiently. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not homophobic. Homophobia is wrong and I'm never wrong."

"So... You don't think I am disgusting?"

"You listen to me." The blond grabbed her best friend's shoulders firmly with both hands and stared straight into her eyes. "Don't you ever think of yourself like that again. Do you hear me? Never. You are a wonderful person, Yukino. A kind, gentle girl whom I adore dearly. I am truly fortunate to be your friend. So don't belittle yourself."

Yukino couldn't hold back anymore. She let out a choked sob and tackled the blond, desperately clinging onto her friend in a fierce embrace. "Haruka-chan... I was so afraid... I love you so much... I thought I would lose you..." She was trembling with too much emotion.

Haruka chuckled. "You will never lose me, Yukino. Didn't I come back from the dead to be with you?" She ruffled her friend's short brown hair lovingly and grinned. "I was planning to wait until you are eighteen, but the hell with that, if this makes you happy." She said, and leaned down to plant a firm kiss on the young girl's agape lips.

_Sometimes, breaking the rules IS the right thing to do. _Haruka thought, satisfied to hear a tiny muffled moan from her best friend. _Imagine that._

* * *

Erstin almost passed out from shock when she saw the teal-haired girl standing next to Arika. _She is here! She is going to expose me! _The blond girl had to cling onto Nina for support because her knees felt like noodles.

"Erstin?" Nina turned her head and frowned slightly at the blond girl, who was obviously frightened and was hiding behind her back.

"Are you alright, miss?" Tomoe asked with a fake smile on her face. "You don't look so well."

"Ers-chan, maybe you should go lie down or something." Arika suggested.

"I am... I am alright. Thank you." Erstin lowered her head and fixed her gaze somewhere on the floor.

Tomoe's smile widened. _Interesting. Ers-chan... I see. _"So your name is Erstin. What a lovely name. Nice to meet you. I would love to tell you my name and give you a proper self introduction, but I am afraid I have lost my memory. I am so sorry about that."

Erstin shot her head up and stared at the teal-haired girl wide eyes in disbelieve. "You've lost your memory?"

"I'm afraid so." Tomoe sighed.

"She hit her head." Arika explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Erstin mustered a small smile on her pale face, trying hard to appear braver than she really was. "It's nice to meet you too."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. "I like it very much, Haruka-chan" and "I like you very much, Haruka-chan" sound exactly the same in Japanese. (tottemo sukidesu, Haruka-chan) So basically Yukino confessed straight to Haruka's face when Haruka asked her if she liked the gift. XD

2. I'm not good at writing sticky and sappy romance... Might be a little OOC, but oh well, try to look at it as "character development." :)


	19. The Calm Before

Chapter 19: The Calm Before

* * *

Erstin had the most complicate feeling when she was taken to the dorm room Nina and Arika shared. She was thrilled to be able to peek into her blue-haired savior's private life, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel envious.

She wished she could take Arika's place.

_I'm such a horrible person for thinking like that. _The blond girl scolded herself mentally.

This room was furnished with two single beds and two desks, each sitting on the opposite sides of the room. Obviously the tidy side belonged to Nina and the messy side belonged to Arika. There were also a small kitchen and a bathroom adjacent to the sleeping quarter.

"That Arinko... I told her to clean up after herself..." Nina shook her head as she picking up discarded clothes from the floor and tossing them into the laundry basket. "Arika won't be here tonight, feel free to sleep on her bed..." Nina paused when her amber gaze fell on her roommate's rumpled bed sheet. She sighed. "Never mind. You can sleep on my bed tonight. I just washed my sheet yesterday."

"S... sleep on your b... bed!" Erstin's eyes bulged to the size of tennis balls.

"Of course. I can't make a guest sleeping on such a messy bed." Nina said matter-of-factly. "I'll get you something you can sleep in."

_Oh God, oh God, oh God. I am going to sleep on HER bed._ Erstin gulped. _Her bed. It must smell like her... WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?_

"Here, you can wear this." Nina handed the half-panicking girl a grass green pajama.

"Thanks."

"It's mine, I hope you don't mind wearing my cloth."

"..."

* * *

"Does it still hurt much?" Viola asked. Earlier she had stripped Kruger naked as fast as she could (which was very fast) and was now washing away the salty seawater from the girl's aching wounds with a detachable shower head.

Kruger groaned. "Does my bruised ego count? I can't believe I did something this stupid. I've completely forgotten about those tiny cuts."

"You haven't told me about how you got them in the first place." Viola said, her finger tips caressing the slightly swollen wounds on the naked girl's arms as if trying to sooth the pain.

_Distracting... _Kruger averted her gaze, determined to look at anything but her girlfriend's delicate fingers moving on her body. _Now that just sounds WRONG in my head. _"I got myself cut by some broken glasses when I was fighting the fembot this morning."

"Fembot?"

"The girl with light blue hair. She is a robot or something like that."

"Android, you mean?" Viola thought for a second. "I believe her name is 'Miyu'. The cute blond child called her that. So, who won?" She asked.

"It was a draw... I think." The naked girl pouted. "We didn't finish the fight."

"Ara." The chestnut-haired girl chuckled. "There, there. Don't sulk. Want me to do the 'pain, pain, fly away' thing to make you feel better?"

"No!" Kruger blushed furiously. _What am I, five?_

"Such an dishonest child. You really want me to do that, don't you? I understand, you don't have to ask, I'll do that anyway." Viola hanged the shower head on the wall and bear-hugged the naked girl from behind. "Pain, pain, fly away!" She cooed and giggled, while planting light kisses on her girlfriend's reddened cheeks.

"Your cloth is getting all wet!" Kruger struggled in the older girl's arms.

"I'll just have to take it off then."

"Wait..."

Viola disregarded the other girl's protest and started zipping down her lilac dress. A few seconds later, the two Otomes were as naked as newborns. "Now we don't have to worry about getting my cloth wet." Viola purred and snaked her arms around Kruger's slender waist from behind, pressing her front against her girlfriend's back.

The raven-haired girl had to clam her mouth shut to stop a content sigh from escaping her throat. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, leaning into the embrace. Being this close the one she loved, the past few months' separation seemed but a faint memory. "Hmm... What are you doing?" She caught the pair of naughty hands and opened her eyes.

"Touching you, of course." Viola admitted shamelessly.

"You don't even want to make up excuses like 'washing my body' or 'applying soap'?"

"Ara, do I have to?"

"Ba-ka... I miss you too." She mumbled, and closed her eyes again.

"Fufufu... My cougar pup said she missed me, my cougar pup said she missed me..." Viola chirped in a sickeningly cheerful singsong voice while squeezing and nuzzling the warm, slippery body in her arms.

"Baka! Viola, you..." Kruger scolded her childish girlfriend, but her lips were quickly sealed by a searing kiss. She leaned back more and put her arm up to grab the other girl's head when she felt a soft tongue diving into her mouth. _She is so soft..._ Kruger moaned into the kiss, darting out her tongue to meet with her partner.

Having shared so many kisses in the past, they soon fall into a familiar pace. They never fought for supremacy, they danced in perfect synchrony. When one advanced, the other would retreat, giving room for the advancing one to roam free. Licking, sucking, nibbling, they took in as much of each other as possible, as if making up lost time for the past few months.

The kiss didn't last long, the shorter girl's knees had started to buckle even before they both ran out of breath. Viola's wandering hands were to blame for that.

"You are so cute when you are like this." Viola's voice was thick with desire. Her teasing remark earned her a muffled protest from her partner, muffled because she had put her hand up to cover the girl's mouth. "Shhh... You don't want to make too much noise, unless you don't mind others hearing what we are doing right now." She took in Kruger's earlobe between her lips after the half-hearted warnings, and her other hand went further down to continue tormenting the raven-haired girl. She almost laughed out loud when the young girl unconsciously bit on her hand.

_Like a wild animal._ Viola thought, licking the warm water and sweats off Kruger's neck. _Such a beautiful beast. _She sped up the stroking when she felt the young girl's fingernails scratching her arm in frustration.

Kruger spat out of the fingers she was chewing when she tasted blood. She turned around and pushed her girlfriend against the wall. "I've hurt your hand, you happy now?" She growled at her girlfriend, but her expression softened when she took the Kyoto girl's hands into her own and laced their fingers together.

Viola rested her forehead against the young girl's and sighed. "I only wanted to make you feel good."

"I know." Kruger blushed. _Very good indeed..._ "But you don't have to rush. We are not Searrs' lab rats anymore, we are not in a hurry. It's not like before, when we had to break the security cameras just to steal five minutes together without them watching our every move." She reached up and licked the taller girl's petal-like lips slowly, savouring the soft texture on her tongue. "I am not going anywhere, you can take your time with me."

"Promise?" Viola's question came out sounding very much like a trembly moan. The anticipation alone was almost enough to drive her crazy.

The raven-haired girl stared into her lover's lust-filled crimson gaze and felt a jolt of electricity ran down her spine. "Promise." She breathed, and was pulled into a devouring kiss right after.

* * *

They missed dinner.

While the two Otomes taking their sweet time in the hot tub, the rest of the party had took turn washing up in the other bathroom upstairs. Mai made dinner (ramen) with Mikoto clinging on her back like a baby koala, but that was a good two hours ago.

Miyu and Alyssa were still busy hacking into Searrs' database, they had been working on this for the better part of their day. Apparently, stealing electronic information from the world's most influential secret organization was not an easy task, not even for an ex-HiME-power-infused child prodigy plus a super-computer-for-a-brain fighting android.

After the dinner, the recovering biker had fallen asleep in Shizuru's arms while they were watching TV. The couch was not a great place to fall asleep on, so the Kyoto born had to carry her unconscious girlfriend back to the bedroom upstairs. Shizuru's strength surprised everyone, but then again, she was not a seasoned naginata expert for nothing.

Haruka and Yukino had dug out every last blanket and comforter they could find in this place. Fortunately, there were more than enough to go around, so everyone could sleep comfortably tonight. Although there were not enough beds, no one objected to the idea of sleeping on the floor since it was carpeted.

The rest of the gang had turned the dinning table into a poker table. It was after everyone had lost their pants to Chie had they finally realized that the poker cards the grinning grey-haired devil graciously provided was a special deck, the kind that was marked and tempered for party tricks.

After that, they dug out a box of fantasy based role-playing game from under the coffee table and started playing it instead. Youko was the Dungeon Master, Nao was a halfling Rogue who had managed to set herself on fire after she picked open a treasure chest. Aoi was a human Cleric who can only use 'Cure light wounds', and she had no idea how to put out the fire. Chie was a human Paladin with a ridiculously high charisma and a laughably low wisdom, and she had lost her sword and armour after drinking a flask of spiked liquor offered by a pretty girl she met in a bar. Mai was an elf Wizard who went delusional because she forgot to rest after casting one too many spells. Mikoto was a dwarf fighter who was sick as a dog because she ate some poisonous mushrooms she found in a cave. Haruka was a half-orc Barbarian who just kicked awake a sleeping dragon in the eyes. Yukino was a half-elf Druid who was trying to talk to the dragon so it wouldn't kill them, but the problem was she couldn't speak Draconian.

They got wiped out in the next round.

When the suspiciously mellow and wabbly bathrobe clad couple finally came out of the bathroom, Haruka was just about to flip the table.

"You two have been hogging the bathroom for an awful long time." Nao smirked at the two Otomes. "Thank God there are two bathrooms in this house, otherwise we would have turned to popsicles while you two having hot lesbian sex in the hot tub."

"They did WHAT?" Haruka shrieked.

"What else did you think they were doing in there? Read poetry?" The redhead laughed at her own joke. "Ha! Read poetry, that's a good one."

"We were TAKING A BATH! Damn it!" Kruger's cheeks were almost on fire.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Nao waved her hand dismissively.

Kruger was livid, but Viola didn't care about the redhead's taunt. As for now, the Kyoto beauty was meek as a lamb.

* * *

She could not go back, not yet. It was not the time. She failed her mission, and on top of that, she got her GEM shattered. Tomoe knew if she crawled back to Searrs right now, she would be severely punished.

She needed to redeem herself.

Besides, she still needed to recover from her injuries before she could do anything. Thankfully, her nano-enhanced body would heal itself faster than normal human body could. Tomoe was planning to use that to her advantage. After all, no one would suspect an injured and amnesic girl, not those fools in Fuuka. She had heard about the failed invasion took place one year ago back when she was still a trainee. Armed with twelve HiMEs, Fuuka was a tough place to take down. But without HiMEs, this place was nothing more than an over-funded private school. _Riddled with useless students... powerless, mindless drones too stupid to realize they are nothing more than cockroaches, pests of a human race. _

_Not like us. _

"Tomoe-chan, Fumi-sama said you need more medical attention, so she told me you can stay right here in the lounge. Fumi-sama asked me to keep an eye on your condition, she is really nice, don't you think?"

_We are the chosen ones._

"She said you might develop a fever because of the injuries, Fumi-sama is thoughtful like that."

_Viola..._

"Too bad Nina-chan had to take Ers-chan back the dorm, there isn't enough room for the four of us to sleep in. What a shame. It will be so much fun if we can all sleep here and have a slumber party."

_I will find you. You were here for a reason, I knew that. Why else would you show up in Fuuka of all places? Our fates are intertwined, Fuuka's, Searrs', yours, and mine._

"We can tell each other ghost stories, the mood is perfect, don't you think? Have you heard? A typhoon is coming."

_We are destined to be together._

"Arika-chan." Tomoe interrupted the babbling girl.

"Yes, Tomoe-chan?" Arika asked.

The teal-haired Otome smiled at the enthusiastic young girl and asked. "Would you mind telling me more about this place? Fuuka Academy, right?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Blame 808tenshi for the smut. She sent me the urahime doujin and polluted my pure, innocent mind... XD Please read and review. 


	20. Hostage

Chapter 20: Hostage

* * *

Erstin was a light sleeper, so when Nina got up from the other bed across the room in the middle of the night, she was immediately awoken from her already troubled sleep. _What is she doing..._ Erstin strained her eyes in the dark and saw the groggy girl stumbling toward the kitchen... 

"Aw..."

... and walked into a wall.

Erstin had to put her hands up to cover her mouth so she wouldn't giggle out loud at the blue-haired girl's endearing display.

However, Nina was still half-asleep even after the walk-into-a-wall incident. She staggered into the kitchen like a drunkard and opened the fridge to take out a bottled water. After she drank the whole bottle in one go, Nina put the empty bottle back into the fridge and stumbled back toward her bed. HER bed. Not THE bed she was sleeping in a minute ago, but the one Erstin currently occupied.

When the sluggish girl plopped down on the spot beside her and snuggled her tightly with a satisfied sigh, Erstin's mind was reeling at the speed of sound.

_OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!_

Erstin squeezed her eyes shut while blushing furiously when the sleeping girl nuzzled her face into the blond's ample breasts and mumbled something incoherent. A few seconds later, Erstin's eyes snapped open and her mouth went dry as Nina slid one leg between her thighs.

Erstin honestly thought that if the world were to implode the next moment, she would die happy.

Nina's cool lips were a sharp contrast to the rest of her warm body. _It must be the cold water she drank..._ Erstin felt a shiver down her spine when the other girl pressed those lips on her exposed collarbone, although she highly doubted that it was because of the coldness. She could hear her own heartbeats pounding inside her head like a jackhammer. It was so loud that she was afraid that the mad noise would wake Nina from her peaceful slumber. _If that happens, then it will be really difficult to explain myself... Wait a second, Nina-san climbed into this bed herself, I didn't do anything wrong, did I? But why do i feel so guilty..._

"Ah! Mmm..." Erstin quickly bit down on her bottom lip to stop the surprised yelp (moan) when Nina shifted in her sleep, accidentally brushing up against the blond's most sensitive part with a bent knee in the process.

It's going to be a very long night for Erstin.

* * *

It was also a very long night for Sugiura Midori. 

"Why did I agree to that old maid Fumi's stupid request in the first place?" Having completely forgotten the fact that she was five years older than the pink-haired Director, the self-proclaimed seventeen-year-old shouted in frustration, her voice drowned by the raging storm.

Earlier that day, Midori received a phone call from Fumi right after she got back from a two-month expedition in Egypt. Apparently there was another Searrs attack at Fuuka and the Director wanted her help to locate a missing HiME, Munakata Shiho. According to Fumi, Shiho was supposed to be on a camping trip with other kendo club members, but she and another two students never came back from their errant run.

And that's why Midori ended up here in the middle of the forest, hungry and lost and soaked to the bones. She thought that the girl might have gotten lost in the forest, so she went looking for her.

It was sunny the entire day, so she didn't bother to check the weather forecast before she set out. What kind of idiot would trust the weather forecast anyway?

Her flashlight died on her an hour ago. There was no moonlight since the sky was covered by heavy rain clouds, and it was impossible to start a fire in the middle of the storm. Basically, she was blind as a bat. And what's the chance of finding one missing girl in the middle of a forest in complete darkness while braving rain and wind blowing 75 miles per hour?

"STUPID BASTARDS!!!"

* * *

Back in one of many Searrs' secret laboratories, Miya Clochette was pacing in Tomoe's empty room. The second in command of the C-type Otome squad was worried beyond words. _Tomoe-sama is strong, she would never lose to anyone... But her signal was gone, something must have happened to her GEM. Even without her GEM, the emergency homing device should still work. Why didn't she used it to contact me?_

News from the combat division was not good at all. Apparently the entire Golden Fleet was lost, and the higher-ups were furious. What kind of enemy did they face? Miya couldn't help but fear for her teal-haired captain's life.

"Please come back to me, Tomoe-sama..."

* * *

"Can't sleep?" Youko sat down on the chair next to Nao, who was looking out the window with a bored look on her face. It's well past midnight and the rest of the gang had all found someplace comfortable enough to spend the night, be it the couch or some soft rug on the floor. The redhead delinquent, although tired, was not sleepy at all. 

"Blame Kuga and the brat. They got the only two beds in the house." Nao said with a blend monotone. She didn't really care about where to sleep, she just wanted to blame her sleeplessness on someone else.

"I see. Try not to stay up too late." The school nurse finished the cup of warm milk in her hand and stood up from the chair. "Good night."

"Yeah. Good night." Nao said and watched the woman left the living room. Her lazy gaze then turned to the slumbering figures littered in the living room instead.

Haruka and Yukino were sleeping on the couch. There was barely enough room for one person to sleep on, but somehow those two managed to share the narrow space. Nao had thought that the rude blond would hog the couch for herself, but as it turned out, the former Executive Director was only lying on her side at the edge of the couch while using her body to shield the mousy girl from accidentally rolling off the makeshift bed.

Mai was sleeping on a rug in front of the fireplace, Mikoto was sleeping on top of Mai as usual. The busty girl's ample breasts made the perfect pillow for Mikoto, and the petite girl's warm body made the ideal blanket for Mai. As Nao watched those two sleep, she couldn't help but think that they were made for each other.

In the corner of the living room, Chie was snorting lightly in a reclining chair with Aoi curling up on her lap like a cat. Nao highly suspected that those two would suffer from a serious case of back pain the next morning, but for the time being, they looked comfortable sleeping in such odd position.

She had no doubt that the "Honeymooners" and their doubles were also having a good night's sleep in each other's arms upstairs, and that really pissed her off.

Fuck, even the android had someone to cuddle with.

Watching them sleep so peacefully made the redhead want to... _What is this?_ Nao clenched her hand into a fist in front of her chest. _Envy?_ She wanted to grab a chalk board and a rusty nail and rudely interrupt their peaceful slumber with the worst noise imaginable. _Now, where can I find a chalk board?_

Nao sighed.

_Life is so not fair._

* * *

Nina had always thought she knew herself pretty well. This morning when she woke up from the best sleep she had in a long while, she realized that she did not know herself at all. 

She didn't know she was capable of rape.

The girl underneath her was still deep asleep, her short blond hair disheveled. There were several faint bruises on her otherwise flawless creamy white neck which Nina was sure were not there last night. Her loose pajama shirt had hiked all the way up to her chest because Nina's right hand was grabbing the sleeping girl's bare left breast. Further down, much to the blue-haired girl's mortification, their legs were entangled in the most intimate fashion.

She had no idea how she ended up on top of Erstin, she only knew that the blond girl looked thoroughly ravished, and she herself was guilty of causing it.

_Maybe I should stop groping her and get off of her as soon as possible._ Nina thought, her panicking mind not functioning properly at the moment. _Ok. First, hand, away from her breast._ She let go of the soft and supple mound _STOP THINKING HOW NICE HER BREASTS ARE!!!_ and carefully shifted her weight to her side. Unfortunately, by doing so, she had unintentionally kneed the girl underneath in the most inappropriate place.

"Mmm..." An erotic moan escaped the sleeping girl's lips. The sound almost made Nina's head explode. To her horror, Erstin's long lashes slowly fluttered open, and she found herself staring into the girl's hazy emerald eyes.

Nina swallowed hard. Her mouth opened and closed a few time, but her voice refused to come out. She felt like a goldfish out of water.

Two hands found their ways to the back of Nina's head. In her half-awake state, Erstin pulled the panicking girl down and held her in a suffocating embrace.

"G'morning, Ni-na." She slurred, and rubbed her ample bosom against Nina's blushing cheeks.

* * *

They were very quiet on their way to the Director's Office. 

After a long session of them apologizing to each other, Erstin had explained to Nina that nothing happened last night. Well, nothing serious happened, only some groping and rubbing and licking and... Ok, Something happened last night, but Erstin didn't think Nina was at fault.

Nina said she would take full responsibility.

Erstin refused. She didn't want to be a mere 'responsibility'.

They didn't talk much after that.

* * *

"Good morning, Nina-chan, Ers-chan. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Arika smiled brightly at them as they came into the lounge. "Fumi-sama told us not to wait for her. I think she is busy working right now." 

"Um. I see." Nina nodded absent-mindedly.

Arika didn't notice Nina's detached state. She continued. "Ers-chan, what would you like for breakfast? How about some ham and egg? Ah, don't worry, Tomoe-chan and I have had breakfast earlier."

"It sounds good. Thank you."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Arika said and then left the room.

"I... I'll go with you." Nina suddenly jerked up her head and hastily follow the short maid out.

Erstin sighed. It seemed that the blue-haired girl couldn't stand to be with the same room as her anymore.

"Good morning. I've been waiting for you, Dr. Ho."

Erstin jumped at the voice and turned to stare at the teal-haired Otome.

* * *

"... and then she woke up. I apologized and told her I would take full responsibility, but she said no. She must really hate me now!" Nina grabbed her wide-eyed roommate by the shoulders and shook her violently while rambling almost hysterically. "She said no! What should I do? She wouldn't forgive me! Should I commit seppuku? Maybe cutting my stomach open is the only way to redeem myself..." 

"TIME OUT!" Arika yelled. "Stop for a second and calm down, will you?"

Nina nodded, her amber eyes still darting around nervously.

"Alright. So You were saying, you took advantage of Ers-chan when she was asleep. What exactly did you do?"

"I... " Nina could feel heat creeping up her face. "Touched... her body... and stuff." She mumbled.

"Stuff?"

"Like... I... Heh? Hey! Why do you need to know that?"

Arika shrugged. "I'm just curious." She grinned like a middle-aged lecher and nudged the taller girl with her elbow. "Come on, tell me. We are practically sisters, what's the harm of letting me know? Did you do 'this' and 'that' to her?"

"WHAT?!" Nina thought her cheeks might catch fire. "None of your business, Arinko! It's between me and Ers."

Arika's sky blue eyes twinkled mischievously. "I see. 'Ers', hehehe... So you two don't need honorific now."

Nina felt like strangling herself.

* * *

Erstin dropped down on the floor, her knees too weak to support her own weight. 

Tomoe hovered above the blond girl and spoke in a low voice. "Take a good look at this, don't tell me you don't recognize this face." She shoved an opened book in front of Erstin's face and pointed out the picture in the middle of the page.

A girl with long chestnut hair and delicate features smiled serenely in the picture.

"S... subject V." Erstin breathed.

"Correct answer." Tomoe giggled. "Here it says my Viola is 'Fujino Shizuru, the Student Council President of Fuuka Academy'. How Strange. Say, Dr. Ho, do you know anything about it?"

Erstin shook her head. "My clearance level is not high enough. I don't know anything more regarding Project Garderobe."

"Ara, too bad." Tomoe knelt down and grabbed the blond's chin, elicited a frightened yelp from the girl. Before Erstin could get away, Tomoe had put a sharp knife on her throat.

"N... no. W... what do you want with me?" Erstin whimpered.

"Shh... Don't move. This is only a fruit knife, but it's awfully sharp. You don't want to bleed all over the floor, do you? All you need to do is stay quiet and... Ah, yes, exactly like that. The frightened look you have on your face is perfect. Be quiet and look very afraid, and I promise no one will get hurt. Understood?"

Erstin nodded.

"Good girl." Tomoe chuckled and then licked her hostage's pale cheek. Erstin held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "You look really delicious when you are afraid, 'Ers-chan'. Now stand up, we are going to the Director's Office. It's going to be so much fun."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. As promised, the 'storm' is here now. Please read and review.

2. April 14 is my 26th birthday!!! XD


	21. Seeing Double

Chapter 21: Seeing Double

* * *

"If you think for a second that I'll let you walk into that obvious trap by yourself, then you are sadly mistaken." Natsuki snapped at her girlfriend, whose face was a complete blank of a mask. 

A few minutes ago, all fourteen occupants of the summer cottage were having a peaceful breakfast downstairs. Mai was cooking up a storm, Mikoto was eating up a storm, and the rest of the gangs were chatting amongst themselves while enjoying their food in a far more modest manner than the human black hole.

But then Youko got a phone call from the Director, and it changed everything.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki growled, her patience was wearing thin. "Talk to me!"

Shizuru calmly took another sip of her morning tea and then put down the cup on the table. "Like I said before, there is a hostage situation in the Director's Office, and the captor demanded my presence. That's all."

"'That's all' my ass!!!" Natsuki slammed her fist on the table, nearly knocking over the tea cup. "I won't let you go. End of discussion."

"I need to go."

"You don't need to do SQUAT!"

"People's lives depend on..."

"LET THEM DIE!" Natsuki yelled at the top of her lungs. The harsh statement shocked not only the bystanders, but also herself. _Let them die? Did I really say that? _She cringed inside, but she didn't let it show on her face.

Haruka was planning on giving the hostile biker a piece of her mind, however, Yukino was tugging on her elbow and shooting her the 'please shut up' look. The pompous blond reluctantly followed her best friend's advice for once.

Being one of Natsuki's best friends, Mai was angered by the girl's outrageous statement, and she was not about to keep quiet about it. She was staring at Natsuki like she never knew her. "Natsuki, you didn't really mean that. You are not that heartless."

"I meant every word. They can all go to hell for..." Her venomous speech was interrupted by a tight embrace from her girlfriend.

"Shhh... Don't say something you know you will regret later. Natsuki is a gentle girl after all, too gentle sometimes. You don't have to force yourself." Shizuru held the girl's head against her chest, stroking the silky raven hair softly.

"Then don't go." Her voice broke. Not caring all her friends were watching, Natsuki put her arms around Shizuru's waist and held her in a bone-crushing bear hug.

Shizuru chuckled. "Not by myself, I won't."

"Heh?" Natsuki jerked her head up from her girlfriend's chest, making a small hiccup sound as she studied Shizuru's tranquil face with confusion.

"While you were busy screaming at me, I was busy devising a rescue plan. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to discuss the plan with everyone here." Shizuru said in her signature teasing demeanor. "But I have to admit that I am rather flattered to know you care about me this much..."

"SHIZURU!" Natsuki's face changed from white to red to purple in less than a second. "This is not the time for this!"

* * *

Shiho couldn't stop crying. 

"I was so... so afraid..." She sobbed out loud in Midori's arms, her usually well groomed pink hair disheveled. Those four tentacle-like pony tails had curled up all over the place, making her head looked like a giant octopus that had been sitting on a grill far too long. "Onii-chan... Onii-chan... I can't find him... He never came back..."

Midori thought she was going to be choked to death by the girl's iron grip. "Calm down, Shiho-chan. Stop squeezing me... can't breathe..." _So this is what it feels like being entangled in tentacles..._

Shiho reluctantly let go. Midori took a deep breathe.

The force of the storm had subsided at daybreak, the history teacher was able to locate the lost girl in a shallow cave on the side of a small cliff. Both of them were cold and hungry from a night in the woods, but fortunate they didn't catch a cold.

"I'm just glad I found you. Alright, now tell me from the beginning. Why are you here by yourself? Where are Tate and Takeda? I thought they were with you..."

Sobbing and hiccuping, Shiho told Midori about her miserable day. A demon-like Kuga Natsuki (so she thought) beat up Tate and Takeda but spared her. Takeda was seriously injured and Tate had to carry the kendo captain to a hospital. They got separated trying to hide from some suspicious military-looking characters, and Shiho never managed to get out of the mountain on her own.

"Don't worry, Midori-chan is here to save the day. I'll take you back to Fuuka in no time." Midiro gave the crying girl a confident grin before she peered at the rain clouds gathering at the edge of the horizon. _As soon as possible. We are in the eye of the storm now, the wind will pick up soon. _She added mentally.

* * *

Nina had never felt this furious before in her life. 

"Call her again. Tell her if she doesn't come here within five minutes, I'll give her more reasons to hurry up." Tomoe said, carelessly pressing the blade tighter against her hostage's neck. Erstin let out a small whimper and closed her eyes, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

"Don't... Please don't hurt her. I'll call Fujino-sama right away." Nina swallowed her anger and picked up the phone. Fumi was sitting behind her desk while staring at the teal-haired Otome with a solemn expression. Arika was standing next to the Director, barely restraining herself from putting her fist through Tomoe's smirking face.

Before Nina could make the call again, the office door swung open with a soft creak and a young woman clad in a white blouse and a long lilac skirt walked into the room.

"You wanted to see me?"The newcomer asked.

"Ahh... Viola..." Tomoe let out a content sigh and smiled sweetly at her object of affection. "Viola-sama, I've been waiting for you. I miss you so..."

"Shut up, swine."

* * *

"Alright, first of all, information. In the beginning the Director called Youko-sensei and asked to speak to me, but then a girl got the phone away from the Director. She called herself 'Tomoe'." 

Viola and Kruger exchanged a dark look.

"That crazy bitch!" Kruger muttered. "Causing trouble everywhere she goes..."

"She is a C-type Otome Searrs dispatched to capture us. I defeated her yesterday and destroyed her GEM, I thought she would be harmless... It seemed I was wrong." Viola sighed.

"GEM? What's that?" Youko asked.

"Generable Enigmatic Matrix." Viola brushed aside her honey-coloured hair and revealed the amethyst set earring on her left earlobe. "Think of it as a control panel. With this, we can activate nanomachines inside our bodies and materialize our Robes and Elements. That Tomoe person had lost her GEM, so she cannnot fight with Otome power."

"So that Tomoe person is only a girl." Nao snorted. "Big deal."

Kruger snickered at the redhead. "Don't look down on an Otome, brat. It's true she can't fight with full Otome power, but the nanomachines inside her body still make her stronger and faster than normal human."

Haruka didn't like the news. "Alright, so the enemy is someone fast and strong. How should we deal with her? It's not like we can call the authority." _I would love to storm in and whack her with something heavy, but that doesn't sound like a good idea now._

"We exploit her weaknesses." Shizuru continued. "The girl kept calling me 'Viola', apparently, she thought we were the same person. We could use that to our advantage."

_Viola? _All eyes were on the said Otome now.

Viola cleared her throat. "That girl is mentally unstable."

"That little bitch is an obsessive, possessive, manipulative, psychotic, delusional, homicidal stalking maniac. That what she is." Kruger burst out a long list of choice words reserved for the teal-haired Otome. She resented anyone who tried to take Viola from her.

Natsuki was impressed. "I see you don't like her."

Kruger crossed her arms defiantly. "Long story."

"Ok, so the stalker girl is obsessed with Viola-san, and she thought you two were the same person. I see, but how do we use that against her?" Mai asked while scratching her cheek idly with her index finger, trying hard to think of a viable strategy.

Wanting to be of some help, Mikoto was also trying hard to think of something. Sadly, thinking was not one of her strong suit so she was starting to feel a little dizzy because her brain overheated.

"Hmm... The girl threatened to 'slit an innocent girl's throat' if I don't show up soon. So the most likely scenario is that she is holding some girl at knife point. Maybe if we manage to distract her long enough, we can get the hostage out of harm's way." Shizuru suggested.

"I see. Distraction, eh..." Viola clapped her hands together. "How about this..."

* * *

Tomoe stared at the chestnut-haired girl with her mouth hanging slightly open. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "Vi... Viola-sama?" 

"Didn't you hear me? I told you to shut up, you worthless insect." The girl in white blouse said with an indifferent blank look on her face.

"Fujino-sama, please don't anger her. Ers... The hostage is still in danger." Nina squeaked in a nervous tone.

"Tomoe-san, don't listen to that woman. Obviously she is a fake. You know you are important to me, don't you?" A girl in lilac dress came in the office and smiled gently at a stunned Tomoe.

"You... you two... Impossible!" Tomoe gasped at the two identical girls. "Viola-sama?"

"Yes." The girl in lilac dressed answered sweetly, but the girl in white blouse merely scoffed. "You are not worthy of speaking my name."

Tomoe was not the only one confused. Fumi, Arika, Nina, even Erstin were all gawking at the two girls thinking how in the world this could happen.

* * *

"So? What should we do after we distract her?" Natsuki asked. 

"I'll come through the window and neutralize the target." Kruger said.

"You? Can you really pull that off?" Natsuki gave her double a skeptical look, which instantly pissed the other girl off.

"Of course I can! It's not like you can do much in your current state." Kruger leered at the injured biker. "You'll just get in the way."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, right? Now, come, I am right here." The girl in lilac dress said with her arms stretched out toward a very confused Tomoe. 

"Hmph! Stupid girl. Didn't I tell you I belong to someone else? If you want me, you will have to take me by force. You can try, that is." The girl in white blouse taunted. "Come on, fight me. I am not interested in cowards."

"I..." Tomoe was torn. Both of them looked exactly the same, but their attitudes were so different. Her gaze darted from one to the other, straining to figure out which one was the real Viola. In her confusion, she had unconsciously slackened her hold on Erstin, and her knife holding hand had moved away from the hostage's throat a little bit.

_Now it's the chance! _Shizuru put her hand in her pocket and pressed the speed dial on her cellphone.

One second, two seconds, more time ticked by, but Kruger didn't storm in from the window as planned. _She is late! Didn't she get the phone call? _Both Shizuru and Viola thought. _What is she doing?_

And at the next moment, the roof collapsed and the blue-haired Otome came crashing down, forming a small crater on the floor with an loud, ugly thunk.

* * *

"That alone is not good enough. We need a Plan B." Natsuki said. "Think about it. What's the worst possible scenario?" 

"Hmm... The hostage dies?" Haruka suggested with a deep frown between her brows.

"No." Alyssa disagreed. "The worst scenario is, annihilation. The hostage, Viola, Kruger, Fujino, and everyone else presents."

Natsuki nodded. "Exactly. We need to be there too, just in case. If anything goes wrong, we will storm in and get you out of there, Shizuru."

"Ara." Shizuru smiled. "How sweet, but wouldn't that be the exact opposite of what you said? It's not wise to get more people involved."

"That's not true." Miyu spoke. "It is unlikely the enemy would be able to corner all of us. We do not have to win against the enemy, the priority is to escape safely shall the need arise."

* * *

"What the..." Midori stood in front of the building where the Director's Office resided, her eyes bugged out of their sockets at the extraordinary scene before her. Shiho was also staring with her mouth hanging open, she had never seen anything like this. They just got out of the mountain after an hour-long hike, and they couldn't help but thought they had lost their minds from over exhaustion. 

Four black figures were fighting a blue figure in the sky high above the building. The aerial battle was like something that came right out of comic books. One on one the blue figure would have won without a problem, but four against one was another story. A few minutes into the battle, the blue figure was caught in a combo attack and fell out of the sky, crashing all the way down into the building. Smokes and clouds of dusts followed.

The sound of tires screeching to a stop got Midori's and Shiho's attention. They turned around and saw a whole bunch of familiar faces jumping out from two over stuffed cars.

"Damn it! They have backup!" Natsuki cursed as she got off from Haruka's car. "Let's get her out!" She yelled at her friends before grabbing onto Midori's wrist, dragging the clueless history teacher toward the Director's Office. "You are helping too."

"Heh? Help? What?" Midori had no idea what's going on.

"HiME Rangers, to battle!"

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Sorry for the delay, life (stupid final exams) got in the way. Having a major case of writer's block didn't help either.

2. I tried to make this chapter flow as smoothly as possible, but the cut scenes seemed a little distracting. Please read and review, constructive criticisms welcomed.


	22. Toy

Chapter 22: Toy

* * *

"Mr. Smith, Valkyrie Unite dispatched. Requesting backup." 

"Have they located Subject K and Subject V?"

"Yes, sir. They are in Fuuka."

"Good. Send in all the Slaves we have from the lab."

"But sir... All of them?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, sir."

"Do you know why C-type's GEM is called the 'Cursed Obsidian'?"

"Because C-type Otome cannot go against our orders once they put the GEM on, sir."

"Well, that's part of the reason. Like how the HiME Star served as a catalyst to amplify HiME's emotion, the Cursed Obsidian GEM has a similar effect on its wearer. Those C-type Otomes are truly cursed. Their emotions run wild as they fight, the more messed up they are, the stronger they get, hehehe... I have to thank the Obsidian Lord for the inspiration. He sure came up with some interesting ideas." The short blond man pushed his round glasses up and gave his subordinate a meaningful look before he continued.

"C-types cannot go against our orders, but they are unreliable. Too much emotion, ironically. Slaves, on the other hand, are much better in comparison. Remember that well, Sergay, you are responsible for the Valkyrie Unit. Don't disappoint me."

A man in his early thirties snapped to attention and saluted his superior. The crescent-shaped scar between his brows made him look as if he were having a perpetual frown on her solemn face. "Yes, sir. I won't disappoint you, sir."

* * *

"You have two choices. Take off your GEM and let yourself be captured, or you can try to fight the entire Valkyrie Unite, although I would advice against it. Your little friend there can tell you just how powerful we are." Tomoe said with a smug smile on her face. 

The four black armor clad Otomes flew down from the huge hole in the roof and landed in front of their Captain. It seemed that Tomoe's previous comment was no empty threat. Viola's lips thinned to a stern line, crimson eyes burned with silent fury as delicate fingers wiping away the blood trickling down from Kruger's forehead.

"Does it hurt much?" Viola asked in a bare whisper, her chest tightened as a pained expression flashed over her beloved's face.

"Not at all." Kruger grunted and picked herself up from the small crater her body made on the floor, leaning a little bit into the older Otome's arms as she straightened up. "Is that all you've got? Four against one and that's the worst you can do? Valkyrie Unite my ass." She sneered at those Otomes with a lopsided grin plastered on her blood-smeared face.

Fumi stood up from behind her desk. She looked straight into Tomoe's eyes and demanded. "Let the girl go. The person you want is here, you don't need the hostage anymore."

"Maybe I will let her go." Tomoe said, dragging the blade along the column of Erstin's neck, applying just enough force to scratch the surface of the skin without breaking it. "Take off your GEM, and I will do just that, my Viola."

Viola closed her eyes and thought for a moment before she answered.

"I refuse."

Nina almost jumped at Viola's response. "You can't refuse! She is going to hurt Ers!"

"Shut up and let Viola do the talking." Kruger glared at Nina. Although she could sympathize with the blue-haired maid, she knew that Viola had her reasons for refusing to comply to Tomoe's demand.

The Captain of Valkyrie Unit was not too happy with Viola's response. "Are you sure that's your answer? You would let this girl die, is that what you want?"

Viola chuckled, a dangerous glint swirled in her blood red eyes. "How gullible do you take me for? First of all, I don't know that girl. Why would I risk my life for a complete stranger? Secondly, I simply do not trust you. Even if I take off my GEM like you asked, you probably will not spare the hostage, not to mention the rest of the people in this room." She paused and gave Erstin an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I wish I could save you."

"Hahaha..." Tomoe suddenly laughed out loud as if she just heard the funniest joke in the world. "You got me, Viola-sama, you really got me. Isn't that amazing how you know me so well? It only proves that we are soulmates. Alright, you don't have to take your GEM off. Fight the Valkyrie Unit if you like, materialize you Robe and Element, I don't mind. Actually, I would love to watch your fight. You are a Goddess when you fight."

The door to the office burst open and more than a dozen girls swarmed in, making the spacious room suddenly seemed small.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki made her way to the middle of the room where the former kaichou stood. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" She glared at the four armor clad Otomes and grabbed her girlfriend's hand. "This is it. We are leaving."

Tomoe was not happy about the party crashers. "Hmm... More people?" Tomoe frowned at the crowd, especially at the sight of Natsuki. "What's with the fake double? Anyway, that's not important. Nobody leaves the room, otherwise the girl gets it."

Everyone stopped moving toward the door when they heard the death threat. _This does not look good at all._ They thought. As much as they liked to stick with the original 'grab-Shizuru-and-make-a-mad-dash-out-of-there' plan, the current situation did not allow them to do that.

"Miya, did you bring my GEM? Put it on me." Tomoe ordered, and the Otome with short brown hair and a very wide forehead did as she told. "It's done, Tomoe-sama." Miya said.

_Crap. Now the stalker can fight with full Otome power. _Natsuki thought darkly.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Viola-sama, you better defeat the Valkyrie Unit real quick if you care about all these people's lives." Tomoe said gleefully. "Slaves are coming."

* * *

Tate was very depressed. The dull, throbbing pain all over his body was not making things any easier for him. 

"Cheer up, Tate-kun. You've done more than enough, don't beat yourself up. What you need to do now is to relax and let your body recover." Said Kanzaki Reito, the former Vice President of Fuuka Academy Student Council.

After getting separated from Shiho yesterday, Tate somehow made it out of the mountain while carrying Takeda on his back. Between finding Shiho and taking Takeda to a hospital, the later seemed like the more pressing matter at the time because Takeda could not possibly get himself to a hospital with both legs broken. Fortunately, they ran into Kanzaki on their way to the hospital and hitched a ride on his car before Tate ran out of stamina.

"Thank you, Kanzaki-sempai. I am really grateful that you are keeping an eye on us, but would you please let me go? My injury is not that serious. Shiho is still missing, she must have been waiting for me all this time, I have to go back and find her. That girl is a crybaby, she always depends on me, I can't leave her alone."

Kanzaki shook his head and pushed Tate back into the bed. "That I cannot allow you to do. I have already reported this to the Director, and she assured me she had sent out her people looking for Munakata-san. Chances are, she has already been found and taken care of. Try not to worry too much."

"But..."

"Tate, I'm sorry." Takeda said regretfully. He was lying on the bed next to Tate's and staring at the ceiling, both of his legs in casts. "It's really my fault. If it's not for me..."

"It's not your fault, Takeda-sempai. I just did what I was supposed to do."

Kanzaki chuckled at Tate's reply, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Then you really don't have to feel guilty, Tate-kun, you were taking care of your best friend. This deep friendship you two share is truly beautiful. To be able to overcome the gender barrier and love each other this way, it's quite a feat."

It took Tate and Takeda a few seconds to catch on Kanzaki's joke. But when they did, they couldn't help but exchanged a look of pure horror and shuddered in disgust.

* * *

"Materialize!" Viola cried out and charged at Tomoe with full force, however, her attack was intercepted by all four armor clad Otomes, albeit barely just. _They hurt my Kruger, and they are about to hurt my baby twin sister, they shall not be forgiven. I'll take them out before the Slaves come._

Tomoe almost dropped her knife when her eyes met Viola's violent crimson orbs. _She looks like an Asura, the demon-god of war. _

Kruger quickly followed up on Viola's attack by tackling the C-types from the side, effectively rammed them off balance. Viola took advantage of the situation and swung down her dual-bladed naginata at Tomoe again. Before her Element made contact with Tomoe's head, Miya jumped out and blocked the powerful blow with her halberd.

"I won't let you!" Miya grunted and pushed back. "Get them away from Tomoe-sama!" The other three C-type Otomes lashed out at the still recovering Kruger, successfully diverted Viola's attention away from Tomoe and Miya and shove them back to the middle of the room.

While the Otomes were clashing in battle, the HiME Rangers were not idling around. Aside from dodging flying debris and bodies that got thrown across the room, they were busy conspiring a new plan to get themselves out of this place.

"Miyu-san, can you get the hostage away safely? Now seems like a good chance." Mai asked in a hushed voice. The android was currently the only one among the HiME Rangers who had combat power that rivaled the Otome's. With her speed, snatching the blond girl from Tomoe's grasp was not entirely out of the question.

"There is a ninety-five percents chance the hostage will be injured if I attempt to take her by force. I do not advice such course of action." Miyu replied calmly, her emotionless red eyes looked strangely out of focus. "Four unknown objects approaching at high speed. Initiating wide area scan..."

Mai was bewildered by the android's behaviour. "Miyu-san? What are you doing..."

"We are surrounded." Miyu said quietly and moved toward the windows.

* * *

"Would someone PLEASE explain to me what the hell is going on?!" Shiho demanded. After a God awful night stranded in the mountain by herself, lost and helpless, Shiho was on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown. All she wanted now was to go home, take a hot bath, drink a bowl of hearty hot soup, collapse on her fluffy bed, and sleep the rest of the day away. 

Chie, Aoi, and Alyssa exchanged a troubled look at Shiho's question. They were waiting outside the building as part of Plan B. Since Alyssa was too young to fight, she was supposed to stay away from the battle. Chie and Aoi were charged with the responsibility of taking care of the child while the rescue team (aka HiME Rangers Mark Two: now with additional combat-ready non-HiME members) stormed the place.

Although not a HiME herself, Haruka was all too ready for the action. She despised the coward who would hide behind a hostage. She could not just sit back and leave Yukino in the front line, (not again) not when the timid girl was without supernatural power to defend herself. Youko joined the Rangers because she felt responsible and could not let her students risk their lives by themselves. The fact that Midori was also there only made her more willing to fight alongside her friend.

"Well, this is kind of hard to explain." Chie contemplated how best to answer Shiho's question without confusing the hell out of the girl. Before she could find the words, she found a hand tugging urgently at her sleeve. "Yes, Aoi?"

Aoi didn't answer. All she managed to do was pointing at something behind Chie and squeaked.

* * *

On the other end of the room, Tomoe was having the time of her life. 

"Ahh... How elegant... Did you see the way her body move? It's like she is dancing. Those eyes... Have you seen anything this beautiful?"

Erstin wished she had been braver. Listening to her captor mumble and gasp in such entranced tone unnerved her immensely. _She is crazy. _Erstin thought while fighting the urge to sob out loud. _I am so afraid... Someone please save me... Nina-chan... _

Nina never really paid any attention to the fierce battle between the Otomes. Her sole concentration was on Erstin and, of course, the shiny blade pressing against Erstin's neck.

Meanwhile, the battle was in a stalemate. Kruger was having a hard time fighting against the C-types. She excelled in short and long range attacks, but she did not fight well in middle range, especially against multiple opponents who were faster than her. She couldn't even materialize her Element, she couldn't risk hurting Viola with her clumsy cannon fire.

"Oh well, I really had fun today. But too bad, time's up, the Slaves are here." Tomoe tilted her head to her left and listened carefully to the instructions coming through her GEM. "Four Slaves? Hmph. Sergay is paranoid. Now everyone here will be crushed. How boring." She let out a disappointed sigh.

_Four Slaves? _Erstin felt her breath caught in her throat. _Four of those mindless monsters... Nina!_ Her emerald eyes locked with the blue-haired girl's amber ones. _I won't let anyone hurt you... I will protect you. _

Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Erstin took in a deep breath and started screaming at the top of her lung. "Run away! Run away right now! I work for Searrs! I'm with them! LEAVE ME! Run! Slaves are..." _here. _

The rest of the sentence fade into a wet gargling sound.

Arterial spray.

Tomoe let go of the now useless hostage. Erstin put her hand up and pressed her palm against the gashing wound on the side of her neck. Without support, she slowly sank toward the floor.

"Oops. I broke it." Tomoe mused with an raised eyebrow.

Nina screamed.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Please don't kill me.

2. No, no Tate/Takeda, I'm not writing that. I put it there as a joke.

3. Those three other Otomes in Valkyrie Unit (Li Mei, Jeanne, and Nobue) are not OC. They are Tomoe's three lackeys in the anime. Please read and review.

4. Oops, sorry about the "Miya" "Miyu" mixup. Thanks for telling me that.


	23. Aim for the Head

Chapter 23: Aim for the Head

* * *

It was like a nightmare, a bad prank that had gone horribly wrong.

_It had to be a lie. _Nina stood frozen, petrified from the violent scene she was witnessing. Everything happened so fast, yet it felt like an eternity, a perpetual bad dream she failed to wake up from. She could see in slow motion every droplet of those precious crimson liquid spilling out from the ugly wound on the girl's neck. _It was flawless just a moment ago... Not flawless. I marked it last night in my sleep. I could still vaguely recall what it tasted like on my lips. _

Nina didn't hear her own scream. But she clearly heard the word lingering between Erstin's pale lips.

Ni-na.

And she went to her.

Nina caught the falling body in her arms before it hit the floor.

"Let her lie down." Youko was kneeling beside her and applying a thick wad of cloth on the bloody wound.

Nina gently lay down Erstin's body on the floor. She didn't see the woman coming, she didn't care much about anything right now. With the tenderest touch, she held the girl's hand up and nuzzled it with her cheek. It felt cold and slightly sticky. _Her blood... _

"Arika, raise her feet up a bit." Youko ordered, and the brown-haired maid promptly did as she told.

Nina didn't notice Arika there either. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. Erstin looked as if she were going to disappear in her blurred vision. The girl's charming but shy emerald eyes she adored so much had lost their sparkles. And the pink blushes always adorned her cheeks had lost their colours.

_Ran... Danger... Nina..._

"Pull yourself together! Stay with us!" Youko lightly tapped on Erstin's shoulder to get her attention. The girl was clearing fading out of consciousness. "At least her airway looks clear... She is losing a lot of blood."

"We need to take her to a hospital." Fumi checked the girl's pulse as Youko frantically trying to tape up the wound on the other side of the neck.

"That'll be too late. We'll take her to the basement. I remember there are enough medical supplies I need down there." The school nurse said with a grim expression. "I need to get her blood pressure up fast."

* * *

"Ojou-sama!" Miyu leapt out of the window and landed in front of Alyssa, shielding the blond girl from the four Slaves closing in from all around them. Since there was no longer a hostage holding her back, nothing in the world could stop her from tending to her precious Golden Angel.

Despite being the youngest among her companies, Alyssa was the only person who was not scared out of her mind. Much to the child's displeasure, Chie and Aoi were holding onto her as if their lives depended on it while trembling at the sight of those monsters. Shiho, unfortunately, had no one to hold on to, so she was sitting on the ground while trying hard not to soil her pants.

"Take Alyssa ojou-sama to the basement in that building." Miyu said to them and pointed at the direction of the Director's Office. "It's reinforced to withstand heavy attack. The entrance is in the Director's Office." She knew that place well because it was where Midori rebooted her near the end of Carnival. "I'll fend them off for as long as possible, ojou-sama." She said to the child. "Please hurry up."

Chie knew the severity of the situation, and logic told her that obeying the android was the only way for them to survive this ordeal. No matter how scared she was, she could not afford to let fear cripple her at this crucial time. "Alright, I understand. Aoi, take Alyssa and run!" She grabbed the fear-stricken young girl by her elbow and dragged her up. "Shiho, get your ass off the ground!"

The fifteen-year-old was paralyzed with fear. She thought she was having the worst day of her life yesterday, but now she knew she was wrong. Spending a stormy night alone in the mountain seemed like a fun and dandy camping trip comparing to this.

Surrounded by those towering monsters, the android looked fragile and insignificant to those who didn't know any better. "You cannot pass." Miyu said in her usual monotone while transforming her left arm into a blade.

The Slaves hissed and aimed their claws at the Yggdrasil Unit.

* * *

This place was like a battle field. The moment Tomoe hurt Erstin, the hostage situation officially dissolved. There was nothing holding the HiME Rangers back either from running away or from fighting the C-types head on. Miyu was the only one leaving the room, she jumped out of the window to get to her ojou-sama. The rest of the HiME Rangers, however, chose to stay and whack Tomoe's skull with whatever that's handy.

If Erstin were not bleeding profusely on the floor, the whole situation would have been considered laugh worthy.

Haruka somehow managed to hurl a heavy piece of cherrywood end table at the captain of Valkyrie Unit. Tomoe transformed to her Robe and easily dodged that piece of furniture. However, as she was dodging Haruka's attack, a table lamp Nao tossed nailed her right on the head, and she got herself tangled in the lamp's power cord.

Mikoto followed up by swinging a baseball bat (the one Chie and Aoi used to play 'bash a melon' game earlier yesterday) and hitting it repeatedly against Tomoe's helmeted head. Midori was doing pretty much the same thing except she was smacking the Otome's head with a six feet long curtain rod. Although Tomoe's Robe absorbed most of the damage, those attacks still annoyed the hell out of her.

"Die! You worthless insects!" Tomoe opened her helmet and cursed at the HiME Rangers as a halberd materialized in her hand. She let out a shrill cry and lashed out at her opponents.

Mikoto, Nao, and Midori hurryingly scrambled out of the way. Haruka was a lot slower than these three, so she had to toss a chair at the Otome in order to distract her long enough in order to escape. With a flick of her Element, Tomoe slashed away the chair easily as if she were swatting away a fly.

"Hey! Tomoe Marguerite!" A familiar voice called out from behind her. _Viola? _Tomoe turned and expected to see the chestnut-haired Otome, but instead she saw a huge velvet curtain coming at her. Before she could react, something heavy knocked her off her feet.

Midori, Haruka, Mikoto, and Mai were sitting on top of the struggling Otome as Shizuru and Yukino holding the curtain down. Nao was putting her well-practiced bondage skill to good use for once and busily tying Tomoe up with a silk curtain rope. "Now!" Shizuru yelled.

Natsuki jumped out and accurately stabbed Tomoe's neck through the thick fabric with three syringes in her hand, swiftly pushing the content into the Otome's vein. "Eat this, bitch!"

Tomoe screamed and flew up from the floor, tossing everyone off her body while ripping the curtain to shreds.

"Damn! Three is not enough? That's all we have!" Natsuki muttered as she struggled to her feet.

"Heads up! Incoming!" Natsuki snapped her head up at the sound of her own voice. It was Kruger yelling through the hole in the roof. "Slave is here!"

_What the hell is a Slave?_

Her question was quickly answered as a giant monster that looked like the unholy offspring of spider/scorpion/mantis hybrid crashing through the wall and started hacking away with its giant, menacing claws.

* * *

Whatever that monster was, Youko couldn't allow it to touch her patient. "Director, please be gentle. Don't shake her. She might bleed out." She warned as she helped Fumi picked up Erstin's limp body.

"I'll be careful." Fumi promised and headed toward the hidden passage.

The Slave didn't let her go far. The heavy smell of blood made it restless with bloodlust. With Erstin in her arms, Fumi couldn't fight nor run. Any disturbance might dislodge a clot in Erstin's wound and set off another massive bleeding.

"If you want to hurt them..." _if you want to hurt Ers... _"You'll have to go through me." Nina stood her ground in a fighting stance, her knees bent and her shoulder square, a small knife in her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the blood-stained handle so hard, her knuckles turned white.

"And me!" Arika stood with her back pressed against Nina's. "I got your back." She said to the older girl.

The Slave made a strange screechy sound as it attacked. Nina and Arika jumped from side to side to dodge the consecutive attacks of those giant claws slashing at them like Death's scythes.

Since the Slave had turned its attention to the young maids, Fumi and Youko reached the elevator at the end of the hidden passage without trouble.

Not before long, Nina and Arika were in a pinch. As much as they would like to avoid being hacked to pieces by the Slave's shiny claws, they were running out of stamina.

Panting hard, Nina used the last of her strength to jump up in an attempt to drive the knife into the Slave's head. The blade broke in half on contact. Nina landed poorly on the floor with a loud thump.

"NINA!" Arika screamed when she saw her friend fell. Erstin getting hurt was bad enough, Arika didn't know what she would do if Nina got hurt too. She never felt more helpless.

"Pick someone your own size!" Midori yelled.

A hail of debris rained down at the Slave. Arika wiped away the sweats rolling down her forehead and let out a relieved sigh. _Fear not, Arika. HiME Rangers are here to the rescue! _She said to herself. Midori and the others were throwing various heavy objects at the monster to divert its attention. The two maids could finally catch their breaths.

Contrary to the sense of relief Arika was feeling now, Alyssa was in great distress. _Miyu said she would delay those monsters for as long as she could, so how come one of them is here now? Something must have happened to her. _The young child was fearing for her dear guardian's life.

"Don't be afraid, Alyssa-chan. I'm sure Miyu-san is alright." Aoi said. The surprisingly observant brown-haired girl was holding the Alyssa's hand tightly in her own and shielding the child from flying debris with her body at the same time. "Now we just have to get to the passage leading to the basement..." She eyed the small opening beside the book shelves at the other side of the room.

In order to get there, they would have to get pass the giant monster and a crazy flying girl in black armor.

"Fuck! She is more insane with drug in her system!" Natsuki let out a groan. Her whole body hurt like it would really fall apart if she took any more hits. She was sure she had cracked another rib and broke her left wrist when she was thrown across the room by that teal-haired psycho.

The nanomachines inside Tomoe's body were responsible for her stunning resistance to the sedatives. Although injected with three times the normal dosage, the Otome could still fight like a rabid dog. The drug had disoriented her and slowed her down significantly, it had also lowered her concentration to the point where she couldn't materialize her Element. However, her inhuman strength was still there; she could still sent people flying in her drunken frenzy.

"Oi! People! A little help?" Natsuki yelled a little weakly as she coughed. She could taste copper in her mouth, and she was starting to see non-existent wiggly lines in her vision. Being flung against the wall three times in a roll did that to her.

"Can't! Busy! Monster! Sorry!" Mai yelled back as she dodged another attack. She would really like to help out her friend, but the current situation didn't allow her to do so. They were having some trouble fighting the Slave too. Nothing they did could hurt the monster. They tried hurling heavy objects at it, stabbing it, bashing it, but nothing worked.

Mikoto even tried to bite it. Not so surprisingly, that genius idea didn't work either.

"Natsuki, stay down." Shizuru demanded with a harsh tone.

Tomoe only had one goal in mind: to take Viola back by force. However, all those drug in her system had compromised her judgement, and her confused mind decided that Shizuru was indeed her Viola. She ignored all her other opponents and obsessively targeted the Kyoto-born.

Shizuru could barely hold the Otome off with a pathetic brass floor lamp as her weapon. Every time she was forced into a corner, Natsuki would jump out and take the blow for her, buying her enough time to recover.

How she wished she could have her HiME power back.

"I'll stay down as soon as I put a hole in that psycho's seaweed head!" Natsuki picked up a fist-sized broken brick that was originally part of the wall and flung it at Tomoe's head. A jolt of pain shot through her newly broken wrist when she did that. Natsuki clenched her jaw and stifled the scream that was brewing in her throat into a rough grunt.

She soon forgot all her pain when she saw the brick hit its mark. "HA! How do you like that? That's for trying to hurt my Shizuru!" Natsuki let out a gleeful laugh and finally collapsed on the floor. She had long passed her limit. Now she felt like throwing up.

Shizuru didn't let Natsuki's effort go to waste. While Tomoe shrieked in agony from the fresh head wound Natsuki made, Shizuru gathered all her strength and mauled the Otome with a combo attack. She only stopped when the brass floor lamp got all bent out of shape and rendered useless as a weapon.

"That's for hurting my Natsuki." Shizuru said breathlessly. She had used up almost all her stamina at the previous attack.

After all that beating, Tomoe was still not down yet. Not counting the drug, the most serious damage she took was only a bloody wound Natsuki made on the side of her head on top of several smaller bumps the other HiME Rangers had caused. If she were not so stoned (no pun intended), she would have realized her mistake and closed up her helmet as soon as the fight broke out.

"This is for hurting Ers!"

Having recovered somewhat from her earlier battle against the Slave, Nina felt a renewed sense of rage burning inside her chest when the initial surge of numbness finally passed. With the broken knife firmly in her hand, Nina lunged at the teal-haired Otome.

Tomoe swatted away the knife with a wide swing. The motion made her lose the little balance she had. Nina didn't care much about losing her weapon, she tackled the stumbling Otome again and nailed her to the ground. Tomoe fell flat on her face.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Screaming in agony, Nina held back none of her dark, raw hatred as she repeatedly pummeled Tomoe's head with her bare fists.

Tomoe shook off the vengeful assailant sitting on her back with a violent toss. Before she could get back on her feet, Nina tackled her again, latching onto her back with all limbs. "Get off!" Tomoe blindly flailed her arms around, but she couldn't get rid of Nina. The berserking maid had her left arm hooked over Tomoe's neck in a choke hold and continue bashing her head with her bloody right hand.

It was bloody because both the skin on her knuckles and the skin on Tomoe's head had torn off during the vicious attacks.

Erstin's blood was on her hand too.

Nina felt no pain. Not when the Otome flew back and rammed her back against the wall; not when her ribs snapped to pieces with a sickening crack; not when blood came gashing out of her mouth like a leaky faucet.

Tomoe flew up high in the sky in her desperate attempt to remove the arm that was slowly suffocating her. She succeeded. The blue-haired maid didn't have enough strength to hold on as the Otome thrust upward at her maximum acceleration.

Nina had the most satisfied smile on her face when she ripped the black crystal off the Otome's earlobe. She knew she wouldn't be the only one plummeting toward her death.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. People will call me a liar if I claim I don't do character bashing in my fic. Honestly, I wasn't trying to bash Tomoe. I don't hate her as much as Sergay. It just... sort of... came out this way... T-T

2. The title "Aim for the Head" is inspired by my favourite movie "Shaun of the Dead". I still have the poster on my bedroom door. :)

3. This is my one stab at drama/angst. Please let me know what you think.


	24. Domino

**Warning: More blood. **

Chapter 24: Domino

* * *

_This thing is nothing more than an ugly cannon-less tank with legs and claws. If I can fight a tank, I can fight this. _Haruka thought as she landed a solid flying kick on the Slave's body. _Okay, that didn't do shit. _The blond limped away but soon came back with a melon-sized concrete block in her hands and whacked the Slave's one of many legs with it. Her crude weapon bounced off the monster's metallic surface without leaving a scratch on its target. 

"Haruka-chan, be careful! Move back!" Yukino shouted, her usual timid voice replaced by a booming, confident one. "Mikoto, Midori, attack from the back! Nao, distract it! Mai, attack from its left! Don't let it go the other way!"

Unlike the rest of the HiME Rangers, Yukino was not actively attacking the Slave. Instead, she worked as the HiME Ranger's strategist and gave out instructions while observing the battle from a vintage point - on top of the Director's heavy oaken desk, which was one of the few furniture left standing.

Yukino was using a delay tactic in the battle against the Slave. They couldn't run, because the Slave could easily pick them off one by one if they didn't pool their strength together. They could hide, but not for long; the Slave would eventually hack through anything in its way. The only option left was to fight. However, they soon found out that normal attacks could hardly damage the monster. They tried.

Then it was too late to run or hide now. All they could do at this point was to hold the monster off long enough so that Viola, Kruger, or Miyu could finish it off for them.

Unfortunately, five minutes into the battle, the HiME Rangers had already reached their limits before the calvary could stroll in and blast the monster away. Nao, Mikoto, and Mai had slowed down considerably, they came very close to losing their limbs a few times. Midori, Haruka, and Arika were too tired from flailing around heavy objects, they were having trouble keeping the Slave occupied.

"This is insane..." Shiho was in a state of hysteria. The girl thought she would be hiding in a safe haven after literally being dragged all the way into the Director's Office. She couldn't be more wrong. Instead of a danger-free paradise, what was waiting for her inside the Office was pure chaos. "WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!" She screamed and bolted for the door. Chie stopped her.

"You can't go outside! You think this is bad? There are three more monsters waiting out there!" Chie yelled at the pink-haired girl. "See that door over there? We are almost there! We go to the basement now, we'll be safe!"

"I don't want to die..." Shiho sobbed uncontrollably while flailing her arms around, fighting off Chie's hands.

"Move it! Bitch!" It was not Chie but Nao dragging the kicking and screaming Shiho into the corner of the room after she slapped the hysterical girl across her tear-stained face. "Shut up if you don't want to die! Do something useful and help us fight or get out of the way!"

"I'll keep her here." Chie said with a concerned frown on her face. "Your hands are bleeding."

"Leave me alone and go grab Aoi. What the hell are you two doing here anyway?" Nao didn't wait for Chie's reply. She dashed back and smashed the Slave's body with a cracked vast she picked up from the floor. "Just die already, fucker!" She cursed loudly.

_If it doesn't drop dead soon..._ Nao refused to think along that line. _Where is HiME power when I need it? An army can't kill this thing, let along a bunch of girls! We need more help! What is Kuga doing..._ Her eyes fell on the figure lying on the floor across the room, she felt her blood ran cold.

_She is not dead, is she?_

* * *

Shizuru was amazed by her own strength when she picked up her wounded girlfriend from the floor and darted toward a corner of the room before the Slave could trample them. Her arms felt like they were filled with lead after the fight with Tomoe; she had no idea how she could possibly run that fast while carrying Natsuki in her arms. _It must be adrenaline._ She thought. 

Half sitting on the floor and half leaning against Shizuru's shoulder, Natsuki was still dazed from the beating she got earlier. She felt the world spinning. The only thing that was anchoring her to the ground was the reassuring warmth of Shizuru's embrace. "Shizu..." She tried to call out the girl's name, but the persistent spinning inside her head almost made her throw up when she opened her mouth.

"Don't talk. I am here."

Natsuki felt a soft hand tucking a few strands of loose hair behind her ear before cupping her face. "I will protect Natsuki, I promise." Shizuru's soothing Kyoto-ben caressed her ear, the melodic voice made her drowsy. Natsuki blinked slowly, she knew she was going to tell Shizuru something, but she couldn't remember what she wanted to say.

_Ah, I remember now. I wanted to tell her to run away from here because it's dangerous._

Shizuru's face looked distorted in her blurred vision. _But her eyes... they are so bright... like molten lava... _Smiling at her own silly thought, Natsuki stared into the Kyoto girl's blood red eyes and sighed. "This feels nice." She mouthed the words soundlessly and then closed her eyes as she rested her head on Shizuru's chest.

_Why bother telling her to run away? Shizuru would never leave me alone. Not a chance. Not in a million years. _

Maybe it's because she had hit her head one too many times, maybe it's because Shizuru's hands were so warm; the prospect of dying in each others' arms for the second time didn't seem too dreadful to her.

Natsuki knew that everything would turn out all right even when there was nothing suggesting they would survive this. It was quite the opposite. HiME Rangers' battle against the Slave was going very badly at the moment.

Everything began to crumble when the monster attacked the brain of the operation. When the Slave aimed its claws at Yukino, Haruka immediately jumped out and pushed her best friend away. The blond's timing was excellent; Yukino only suffered a small cut on her forehead when they crash landed on the uneven floor. However, Haruka was not so lucky herself. Her little stunt had earned her a nasty cut when the Slave's razor sharp claw glanced her left calf.

Haruka's painful cry echoed through the entire room.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, Haruka-chan..." Sobbing and apologizing, Yukino dragged her friend as far away from the battle as possible. She took off her shirt without a second thought and pressed it firmly against the bloody wound.

Shiho sat quietly in the corner, hands covering her ears. If Nao hadn't moved her earlier, surely she would have been killed. She was scared out of her mind before Nao slapped her, but now she was beyond scared. She was numb. There was nothing she could do other than watching the monster hurting everyone she knew.

_And the screams..._ Shiho clamped her palms tightly over her ears, but she still couldn't block out the sounds. So she started screaming too, just to drawn out the agonizing cries that seemed to go on forever.

One by one, they fell like domino pieces.

Midori didn't scream, she only cursed up a storm when the slave thrown her off its back and dislocated her right shoulder as she collided against the wall. Nao was the next casualty, she was lucky that the Slave didn't hack her in halves. By sheer luck she avoided certain death because she fell through the hole on the wall and out of the building. Dropping two stories down, the redhead got away with a broken left arm and a twisted right ankle when she landed on the soft flower bed outside.

Mikoto went berserk when she saw Mai lay motionless in a puddle of blood after the Slave ran her over. With cat-like agility, the petite girl climbed onto the towering monster's body and secured herself right on top of its head. Like a demon possessed, Mikoto roared with blind rage as she repeatedly bashing the Slave's head with a bent metal bar that was part of the window frame.

"AHHHHH!!!"

At the same time the jagged tip of the metal bar went through the monster's head, the long, sharp stinger attached to the its rear thrust forward and skewered the girl through her left shoulder.

* * *

Kruger put up a force field just in time to deflect a heavy strike coming from behind her. She did a acrobatic back flip midair and caught her opponent's halberd with both hands. Another C-type tried to ambush her from above, but Kruger blocked the attack by whipping the halberd plus its owner around. The two armor clad Otomes collided painfully together. Kruger took the chance to materialize her Element, a massive cannon that took out Searrs' Golden Fleet yesterday, and pulled a quick pot shot at her enemies. She missed. 

Groaning in frustration, Kruger sped forward and tried to grab one of the C-types again. Her opponent dodged out of the way and drop-kicked her on her shoulder, sent her flying toward the ground. Another C-type caught up and kneed her right in her stomach. Kruger bent over dry-heaving from the force of the combo attack. Clenching her jaw, she kept a firm hold of her opponent's leg and started spinning her around to build enough momentum before throwing her at the other C-type. The two Otomes collided together again. Instead of pulling out her Element right away, this time Kruger extended the ribbon on her Robe and bound her opponents first.

"Eat this!" She yelled as she materialized her cannon.

"Behind you!" Viola's urgent cry stopped her count down. Kruger ducked down just in time as a halberd zoomed past her head and cut her ribbon off, setting the two bound Otomes loose.

"That's fucking dangerous!" Kruger barked at the Otome who chucked the weapon.

Viola was furious. She tackled the Otome with all her strength and rammed her all the way down to the ground. The force of the attack shattered her helmet and revealed her face. It was the second in command of the Valkyrie Unit, the girl with short brown hair and a wide forehead.

All the other C-types came to Miya's rescue when Viola was about to deliver the fetal strike. Three halberds blocked her naginata inches above Miya's helmet-less head.

It was at that moment, a suffocating Tomoe launched herself out of the building and up toward the sky with Nina clinging on her back, choking her with a death grip. Their journey upward didn't last long. Tomoe's Robe was forcefully removed when Nina ripped the Cursed Obsidian GEM off her ear. They dropped like stones.

"TOMOE-SAMA!" Miya shrieked.

"No you don't!" Viola knocked the brown-haired Otome down with a sharp blow. "Go get them!" Viola yelled. Kruger got the cue and immediately flew toward the two falling girls.

The other C-types were torn between staying to keep Miya from harm and leaving to catch their captain.

"Go to Tomoe-sama!" Miya ordered with a desperate plea in her hoarse voice.

"I won't let you!" Viola unlocked her Element and chained her opponents down. She couldn't hold them for long, but she couldn't allow anyone to interrupt her plan either.

Kruger was shocked to see Nina so badly wounded when she caught her. "Oi, don't faint. Stay awake, alright?" She demanded awkwardly.

Nina was not responsive. She was having trouble breathing.

"I got her! And the stalker too!" Kruger yelled at her partner. Not so eager to help the teal-haired psycho, Kruger was using her ribbon to tie Tomoe up, letting the Otome dangle upside down like a worm on a fish hook.

"Good job." Viola flew back and grabbed Tomoe by her collar while shoving her naginata against the drugged up Otome's neck. "Now go help the others." She asked.

Kruger nodded and headed back into the building. She needed to get Nina proper medical attention too.

"The situation is reversed, isn't it ironic?" Blood red eyes narrowed at the C-types, Viola chuckled with venom in her voice. "Maybe I should just go ahead and chop her head off. I AM in a rather foul mood now, mind you."

* * *

Mikoto was tossed aside like a ragged doll. The only reason her brain was not smearing all over the wall was because Midori used her body as a cushion to break her fall. 

Apparently, the metal-bar-in-head was not enough to kill the Slave.

"If Gakutenou were here..." _If any of us still had our HiME powers, this small fry would greenspark in no time. _Midori thought with a defeated half smirk on her face. _At least Youko is safe in the basement... _

"Run toward that door when I distract it." Chie said as she picked up a fist-sized concrete block.

Aoi grabbed her girlfriend's wrist with both hands. "No. You are not doing this."

"Go." Chie ordered firmly.

"I said No!" Aoi bent down and picked up a broken off leg from a wooden chair. "You stay, I stay! And that's final! Stop arguing with me, woman!"

Chie swallowed the lump in her throat and grinned widely. "As you wish, my princess."

Natsuki felt something incredibly soft and warm pressing gently on her forehead. _A kiss? _She couldn't help but smile at that. _Leave it to Shizuru to do something like that at a time like this._ She opened her tired green eyes and locked them with Shizuru's entrancing crimson orbs.

"Ikezu." Natsuki breathed as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Everything started to turn white.

"Load Silver Cartridge!"

Before Natsuki passed out, the last thing she saw was a silver blue figure standing in front of them.

_Duran? _

"Fire!"

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Hmm... This chapter was more gory than I had planned. Sorry about that.

2. My brain felt like it's leaking out of my ears when I wrote this chapter. The battle scenes were difficult to write. I hope I have done an adequate job. Please read and review.

3. If you are interested, go to my **Profile** to see a picture of the Slave the HiME Rangers fought.


	25. Strength

Chapter 25: Strength

* * *

"You are not stupid, Viola Searrs. You of all people should understand you will achieve nothing by taking Tomoe-sama hostage." Miya said, bitterness brimming in her voice. "We are pawns, expendable, our lives worth nothing to the Organization. The higher-ups will not bend to your demands." 

Viola couldn't help but let out an amused laugh. "Taking her hostage? What makes you think I am taking anyone hostage?" She asked, with a cruel smirk spread across her face and a touch of madness swirling inside her vicious crimson eyes. "I am only going to slowly torture her to death in front of your eyes. How would you like to see that?"

The edges of her Robe came alive, each strand of those snake-like purple stripes wrapping themselves around Tomoe's body, choking the life out of her. "Interesting. Maybe her eyes will pop out if I squeeze her hard enough. That should be fun to watch."

"You monster!"

"For the ones I love, I would gladly fall to the deepest level of Hell," the Kyoto-born said with a serene smile that sent chills down her enemies' spines. "Now let's see... Which part of her body should I cut off first?"

* * *

Valkyrie Unit retreated. 

They didn't retreat on their own accord, Viola forced them to. Using Tomoe both as a shield and a bait, Viola took full advantage of the situation and easily defeated all her opponents. There was no honour in her victory - honour was over-rated. She saw a weakness in her enemies, and she exploited it. It was as simple as that.

She shattered their GEMs. She didn't kill them, she was going to, but Kruger stopped her.

* * *

The few ambulances sent out by Fuuka Hospital could only take the critically injured ones. Erstin had lost a lot of blood and needed immediate medical attention. Nina's broken ribs had pierced her lungs and caused severe internal bleeding; Arika had to give her mouth-to-mouth to keep the girl breathing. Both Mai and Natsuki were unconscious from head trauma, and needed further examination as soon as possible. Mikoto, Haruka, Nao, and Midori were not as badly hurt but still in a lot of pain, so they also went on the ambulance ride. 

The other walking wounded who couldn't fit into those ambulances followed them in Haruka's car. Although Chie didn't have a driver's license, she drove like an experienced race car driver. One couldn't help but wonder how much time and money the glasses-wearing girl had wasted on arcade racing games.

The HiME Rangers had suffered heavy casualties, fortunately so far no one was dead yet. Miyu the android was not so fortunate.

Miyu was supposed to be fighting the three Slaves outside the building according to Chie and Aoi. However, when Kruger went out to help the android after blasting the Slave in the office, she could find neither Miyu nor the Slaves. It seemed they had simply vanished.

Alyssa was devastated. It took both Chie and Aoi to keep the child under control.

Ever since that snowy day she and the gentle being first met, they had never been separated. Miyu might have been artificially created, but so was Alyssa. The child had never once doubted that the android had a soul, one that was so tender, so pure, so innocent, that no human could possibly possess one like it. _Untainted._

Miyu should have been the one to be dubbed 'Angel'. Not her.

* * *

Reito was leaving the hospital when he noticed the commotion in the lobby. At first he thought there was a serious traffic accident due to the typhoon, but then he realized something was terribly wrong when he recognized some of the patients being wheeled into the Emergency Room. 

"Mikoto! Mai-san! Even Suzushiro-san... What is going on..." Then he noticed the tall chestnut-haired girl closely following a wheeled stretcher. "Fujino-san... WHAT?!" Correction, girls. There were two of them. Reito's handsome face twisted comically into a combination of worry and shock. He'd always known Shizuru was an only child, but now there they were, two identical Shizuru(s) standing right in front of his eyes.

Neither one paid him any attention. Reito's brows tied into a knot when he saw the next person being sent into the Emergency Room. It was Kuga Natsuki, the former kaichou's best friend. He couldn't tell which one of those Shizurus' was the Shizuru he knew. He could only vaguely recognize that the one wearing lilac dress looked worried, and the other one wearing white blouse looked hauntingly empty.

"Don't fuss over me. Go treat the others," another raven-haired girl growled at the nurses before she carelessly wiped away the half-dried blood caked on her forehead. Reito couldn't help but stare like an idiot. _There are not only two Fujinos, there are two Kugas as well._

"At least sit still and let me take a look at that cut on your head." Viola easily made Kruger sit back down on a lounge chair by pressing lightly on her shoulder. "It could be serious. If anything happens to you, I..." She shuddered as she stole a quick glance in the direction of the Emergency Room.

Kruger saw where Viola was looking at and instantly understood what the girl was fearing for. She took Viola's hand into her own and gave it a firm squeeze. "I'm fine, really. I am not helpless like her. Don't forget, we Otome are a lot stronger than normal people. This kind of injury is nothing to worry about. " Kruger was referring to her look-alike.

"We are anything but normal, Kruger-san." Shizuru suddenly spoke up. She was here in the lobby because she'd been given stern warnings by hospital staff before being kicked out of the over-crowded Emergency Room. "We need to talk."

* * *

"Onii-chan!" Shiho let out a choked sob before she pounced on the sandy-haired young man. Tate grunted in pain as Shiho's dead weight dropped right on top of his aching body. "Onii-chan, onii-chan... Where did you go? Shiho was so scared. There was a storm, and then there were monsters with sharp things..." 

Tate couldn't make sense of Shiho's babbling, but at least he understood the girl was deeply traumatized by whatever had happened during his absence. Guilt stabbed him like a red hot blade - this was the second time he had failed to protect her. "Sorry, Shiho. It's my fault. I promised you I would always protect you, didn't I..." He tightly embraced the trembling girl and vowed with all his heart. "You don't have to be scared now. I'm here, I'll keep my promise, I'll protect you. A fragile girl like you shouldn't experience those hardships. I will be strong for your sake."

_Something was not right. _A slight frown appeared between her brows. She was a little confused. _Fragile girl like me? Onii-chan will be strong for my sake? That just sounds so very wrong. _Shiho couldn't help but recall the full-arm slap Nao had given her earlier.

_"Do something useful and help us fight or get out of the way!"_

With the exception of Suzushiro Haruka, everyone else who had risked their lives fighting the monster fell into the category of 'fragile girl'. However, Shiho couldn't think of anyone braver than the HiME Rangers. Like Shiho, none of the HiMEs had retained any of their HiME powers when they'd faced the monster. They were shaking in fear and screaming in agony as they fought, but they fought nonetheless. _I was shaking and screaming too, but I was hiding in the corner feeling sorry for myself._

_Why do I always seem to be the one getting in other people's way?_ Shiho pushed herself off her dear onii-chan and scrutinized his strong features with great concentration. Tate's promises used to mean so much to her, but now they sounded strangely hollow. _Why do I always need other people to be strong for me? _

_Why am I so useless?_

She got up from Tate's bed and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see how the others are doing. They all got hurt. Mai-san too."

Tate bolted straight up upon hearing the news. "What? Tokiha was hurt? How bad was it? Is she ok now?"

Shiho nodded. "Yeah, she was hurt pretty badly, she was unconscious when the ambulance brought her in. You should visit her later. But I think she'll be all right, she's strong. They're all strong."

_I am the only one who is disgustingly weak._

* * *

"Must. Have. Painkiller." Nao's face twisted into a grimace. The throbbing pain in her broken left arm was driving her crazy. No one was tending to her because the hospital was currently short on staff. Nao's injuries, though painful, was not lethal enough to be on the top of priority list. She had been sitting in the hallway cursing for the half hour she'd been there. 

A Nao in pain was a bitchy Nao.

She'd never liked hospitals in the first place. In her mind, a hospital was a place where liars conned people's hard-earned money with false hopes. Doctors and modern medicine never fixed her mama. Those bastards in white couldn't even repair her left eye.

"Lazy ass pigs..." Nao curled her right hand into a tight fist and slammed it into the wall. "Just give me something for the fucking pain!"

"Calm down, will you? What good would it do if you go and break your other hand?" Midori was sitting across from the redhead, wincing as she spoke. Her dislocated shoulder had swelled up quite a bit and started to turn a lovely colour of pale greenish purple. "Be grateful, kiddo. It's a miracle you still have enough stamina to throw a tantrum after what we went through." The history teacher closed her eyes and leaned back into the chair, careful not to put any pressure on her shoulder. "It could easily be us lying on the operation table right now."

"Don't you think I know that? I'm not fucking retarded. I'm just..." _Vexed_. Nao clamped her mouth shut and fixed her angry green eyes on the floor. _I feel fucking useless. _"I hate hospital."

A few minutes later, the sound of feet urgently stomping across the floor got their attention. Chie was dragging a middle aged balding man toward them. Both Nao and Midori couldn't help but raise their eyebrows at the sight.

"Yo, how are you two holding up? Sorry for the long wait, but look, I've found you a doctor." Chie said with a wide grin on her handsome face.

"Doctor? That one?" Nao narrowed her eyes and scanned the man skeptically. "Where did you find this quack?"

The man protested defiantly at Nao's remark. "I am certainly not a quack! I'll have you know that I am a highly qualified obstetrician and gynecologist..."

"You found me a vagina doctor?!" Nao snapped. She would have jumped if she hadn't twisted her ankle in the fight. "That's the best you can do?! A fucking vagina doctor?! Does my vagina look like it's having a problem to you?!" She yelled while gesturing at her own crotch.

"God, Nao. Would you please stop using that language? It really hurts my ears." Aoi complained. She was covering Alyssa's ears with her palms.

Nao frowned at her blushing roommate. "What, I can't say 'fuck'?"

"No, the other one." The faint blushes on Aoi's face darkened to a deeper shade of red.

"You mean 'vagina'? How is that a bad word? You do have one, don't you?" Nao said matter-of-factly.

"Nao, please!"

Nao smirked at Aoi before shooting amused side-ways glance at Chie. "Hmm... Apparently your fuck buddy here hasn't taught you enough. Still blushing at the word 'vagina'? How innocent."

"It's you who are too vulgar." Chie replied flatly. "This is the only doctor available in this hospital right now. Unless you want your broken arm left painfully untreated for another half an hour, I suggest you let the doctor fix you. Vagina doctor or not, he is a doctor."

"Would you two knock it off? Enough is enough!" Aoi was cringing with too much embarrassment. She decided she would kick the next person who said 'vigina'.

Midori could no longer hold herself back from joining in the bickering. "Well, at least she didn't get you a penis doctor. You might just find your arm enlarged afterward..."

"..."

* * *

"Put the nanomachines in me." Shizuru said to the two Otomes. They were talking in a secluded stairway near the end of the hall where no one could overhear their conversation. 

Viola let out a soft sigh before speaking. "I know what you are thinking. Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am sure," Shizuru answered with steely resolve. "If there are no adverse effects, then put them in Natsuki."

Kruger had some doubts about Shizuru's request. "Hey, nanomachines might be all sorts of useful, especially when it comes to fast healing, but they don't work on everyone. I don't really know what the restrictions are, but I know some people react very badly to them."

_If they work fine inside my twin sister's body, then they will work fine inside my body. If they work fine inside Natsukis clone's body, then they will certainly work fine inside Natsuki's body._ Shizuru gave her twin a meaningful look, knowing Viola would understand her perfectly. "I'm willing to take the risk."

"You might be willing to take the risk, but can you be responsible for your friend's life if something goes wrong?" Kruger crossed her arms, a sullen expression on her face. She didn't like the idea one bit. _What kind of idiot would willingly put those nasty things inside one's body without considering the consequences? _

Searrs would come after them again, Shizuru was sure of it. They were as good as dead if they all stayed bedridden for months to come. Natsuki needed to get well, as soon as possible.

_Besides, that was the second serious concussion she suffered in four days. She might not wake up..._

_Stop thinking about it._

"I will take full responsibility." Shizuru put her hand up and pressed it firmly against her heart. "If any harm should befall Natsuki because of this, then I will forfeit my life. I will not forgive anyone for hurting her. Not even myself."

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Sorry about the immature human anatomy jokes. Please read and review.

2. Thank you, Hannah, for being my new beta.


	26. Good Girl

Chapter 26: Good Girl

* * *

Not so surprisingly, both Fumi and Youko were against the idea of putting nanomachines into Shizuru's body. However, Shizuru did not give them any room for negotiation. Of course the Kyoto-born was ever so polite and proper when she voiced her opinion/threat, but she made herself frighteningly clear. 

Either they would help her do it, or they should just sit back and watch her sticking a tube between Viola's and her own arms if that's what she must do to get the nanomachines.

At the end, the Director made some arrangement and they were allowed to use the hospital's lab to (safely and hygienically) extract nanomachines from Viola's blood and inject them into Shizuru's body.

"Heart rate: normal. Blood pressures: normal." Youko checked the I.V. drip again and turned to the chestnut-haired girl lying on the bed with her eyes closed. "How are you feeling right now?" She asked.

"I feel fine." Shizuru replied with a calm smile. It seemed her body was not rejecting the nanomachines like Kruger had predicted. _Although it wouldn't hurt to have the room temperature a few degrees lower..._ Shizuru thought.

"You are sweating." Viola observed, frowning slightly as beads of sweats starting to form on her twin's forehead.

"I feel fine." Shizuru insisted, her right hand clenching the left side of her stomach unconsciously. _It's hot..._

* * *

When Haruka was sent out of the Operating Room, Erstin, Nina, Natsuki, Mai, and Mikoto were still in surgery. Haruka might not be the brightest pea in the pod, but she knew they all got off easy. The fact that none of them was in a body bag yet was miracle enough. 

Thanks to the painkiller and the lingering effect of anesthesia during the surgery, Haruka was feeling quite calm for someone who nearly got her leg hacked off by a twelve feet tall monster's shiny claws. Although she was the one who got hurt, her best friend Yukino, on the other hand, looked as if she might pass out at any time.

"Yukino, are you sure you didn't get hurt anywhere else? Your face is all pale." Haruka asked while checking the girl's body for injuries hidden underneath her clothes.

Under normal circumstances, Yukino would be blushing and protesting in embarrassment, but now she only squeaked a little when the blond groped her.

Not finding any part of Yukino's body broken, Haruka then turned her attention to her friend's appearance. The girl was wearing a different shirt since her old one was ruined earlier. Then Haruka noticed something else. "Give me your glasses." She said.

Yukino took off her glasses and handed it to her friend wordlessly.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable wearing this? The frame is all crocked." Frowning with concentration, Haruka skillfully bent the frame back to its original shape. "There. All better... Why are you crying again?" She tried to reach for her handkerchief in her pocket but then realized she was only wearing a flimsy hospital gown. Slightly annoyed, she pulled Yukino closer and wiped away the tears with her fingers.

"It... it must've hurt..." Yukino said with a strangled sob. "It must've hurt so much. Haruka-chan..."

"What are you talking about? Of course it hurt! It hurt so much I almost pissed myself." Haruka said with an angry scowl on her face.

Yukino's breath hitched at Haruka's harsh reply. She expected Haruka to be upset, but hearing her admit that was a hundred times worse than she had anticipated. "I'm so sorry... Haruka-chan... It's all my fault..."

Haruka interrupted her friend's teary apology with an impatient grunt. "Your fault? Some moron set loose a bunch of monsters at our school, and you think it's your fault? Yukino, sometimes I really don't understand how your brain works."

"But... but if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have got hurt! It's MY fault!"

"Yukino." Haruka said with absolute sincerity and conviction. "It hurt, but I didn't regret it one bit, and I'd do it again if I have to." Suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy, she shifted her gaze downward and focused it on her hands. "I would rather lose a limb than lose you."

Deeply moved by Haruka's confession, Yukino tackled her friend and locked her in a desperate embrace while letting out a sob and a wet hiccup. Haruka sighed and returned the hug with an understanding smile.

"Crybaby."

* * *

Shiho didn't fully understand why she would want to see the redhead delinquent now. They were practically strangers to each other. Beside, Nao just slapped her not too long ago, they were not exactly on good terms. So why should she even care about that violent rebel? 

"Shiho-chan? Is there something you want? You don't have to hide in the corner peeking around, you know." Midori said with a chuckle.

The doctor Chie found had been called away for an emergency C-section right after he fixed Nao's broken arm. The only thing the good vagina doctor had done for Midori was to give her some drugs to deal with the pain. She was giddy and content even though her shoulder was still swollen and dislocated. The fact that she was left sitting in the hallway without treatment for hours didn't seem too terrible in her current mental state.

Being caught redhanded, Shiho blushed slightly as she came around the corner and greeted the history teacher with a polite but awkward bow. "Er... Hi."

Midori raised an eyebrow. "What's with the formality? Aren't we both fellow HiME Rangers? Ha ha! Come on, just spit it out. You look like you want to say something. You can tell Midori-chan anything, you know."

_Fellow HiME Rangers._ Shiho cringed at the title. _I am only a coward._ "I'm just wondering, where is that delin... I mean, where is Yuuki-san? I thought she is here with you."

"I don't know. I saw her hopping on a wheelchair and pushing herself down the hall right after the doctor put a cast on her arm. She didn't even stay to get her ankle bandaged." Midori said while scratching her head lazily. "I guess she really hates hospital."

Chie came back from a vending machine raid with an arm-full of snacks and drinks. She dumped all that stuff on an empty chair beside Midori and sat down next to Aoi, who was holding a sleeping Alyssa in her arms. The poor child had silently cried herself to sleep a while ago.

"I saw Nao waiting for the elevator just a minute ago." Chie added. She had heard the conversation on her way back. "If you go now you might catch up with her. I have no idea where she is heading though."

When Shiho got to the elevator, she only caught a glimpse of the redhead's form as the elevator door closed shut. She waited and took note of the floor number it stopped at, and then she ran for the stairs. She wasn't sure why she was running, she could have waited for the elevator to come back. She didn't. She wanted to find the redhead as soon as possible. _And to do what? _She honestly had no idea.

* * *

Nao felt weak. Every time she came to this place, she always felt like a lost little girl. She had resisted the urge, the vehement need to visit that frail woman for so long, she no longer had enough strength to deny herself after she was physically and mentally exhausted today. 

This section of the hospital was always as quiet as a morgue. It reeked of death. _No._

_Not dead. Yet by no mean alive. Mama..._

She took a deep breath and opened the door. _Fuck. I'm shaking already._ Nao grabbed her arm and let her nails sink deeply into her flesh. The stinging pain made the involuntary trembling subside a little.

The woman lying on the bed looked as if she were only taking a nap. That's what it always looked like to Nao. Just a nap. Despite knowing perfectly well the woman would not be roused by any noises, Nao still tried to be as quiet as she could when she approached the bed. She would hate to disturb her mama's peaceful slumber.

"I'm fine. The wheelchair is only temporary." She started by explaining her condition. She could easily imagine the worried look on her mama's face, and she didn't like making her mama looking so sad. "The cast? Oh, it's only for show. That quack doctor is messed up in the head, you know." She said, giggling like a six-year-old as she continued. "He is not a bone doctor, actually. Guess what his specialty is? I'll give you three guesses."

Nao's silly giggles faded into a soft sigh after a while. "Yes, mama, I'll be more careful next time." She paused and gently held the sleeping woman's hand into her own, pressing it against her cheek. "I was not scared at all, because I'm strong like you." She closed her eyes and moved her mama's hand up to make it rest on top of her own red head.

_There, there. Nao is a good girl._

"Yes, mama. Nao is a good girl." Nao chirped happily.

* * *

_Did I just see something I really shouldn't have? _

Shiho held in her breath as she quickly dodged behind a vending machine, listening intently to the quiet squeaks made by a wheelchair rolling pass her hiding place. Letting out a relieved sigh, Shiho carefully poked her head out and saw the redhead pushing herself into the washroom.

_I've seen too much. She'll kill me if she finds out about me spying on her._ Shiho was planning to run for her life, but a strange noise coming from the washroom made her stop on her track. Suddenly recognizing what the noise was, Shiho had to put her hand up to cover her mouth so she wouldn't gasp out loud.

The muffled sounds coming from the washroom was Nao sobbing and puking her guts out.

* * *

Despite Youko's initial concerns, the procedure went smoothly without complication. However unlikely it might be, Shizuru's body seemed to be well adapted to those nanomachines. 

Youko did not like the turn out too much, not that she wanted Shizuru to be hurt by the nanomachines, she was irked by the implication this whole event brought upon. If putting nanomachines into one's body was such a simple and harmless procedure, mass producing Otomes would not be just a pipe dream.

Imagine what it would be like if those power-hungry bastards from Searrs had armies of super soldiers at their disposal. Imagine what they would do to the HiMEs in order to eliminate potential enemies.

Youko feared for those girls' lives.

Standing in front of a mellow Midori, Youko stared down at her friend with a disapproving frown and crossed arms. "Sugiura Midori. What are you doing?"

Midori looked up at the Youko's and replied innocently. "I'm taking a nap."

The school nurse could feel her eyes twitching. "In the hallway? On the floor?"

"But I'm sleepy." Midori whined loudly.

"Don't sleep on the floor like a bum. Oh my God. You shoulder is not treated!" Youko bent down and helped her friend up, but the history teacher herself was not very cooperative. "Would you stop being such a big baby and stand up on your own? You are heavy."

"Yooouuukooo..." Midori suddenly went all teary eyes and weepy. "You think I'm a big baby too? I like being seventeen. I don't wanna be ooold."

Youko sighed and shook her head. "Alright, alright, you are not a big baby. You are not old either, you are a forever-seventeen-zombie. Happy now? Now sit still and let me see your shoulder."

"But Yooouuukooo..." Midiro didn't calm down at all. The volume of her whining only went up. "Seventeen is too young. Professor's kid is seventeen. Why does professor prefer that old crone instead of young, beautiful, innocent me?"

Youko blinked in surprise at Midori's rant. "What? Professor is married?"

"He was." Midori sniffed loudly. "He's divorced, but he still loves his ex-wife. Why would he love someone that old? Can you believe this? I've lost to someone three times my age!"

_Yeah... _Youko had to bite on her tongue so she would not blurt out inappropriate remarks like 'ha-ha, serve you right' or 'now you know how I feel'. "Because professor is too senile to appreciate your youthfulness and beauty. If he were your age, he would definitely fall for you." She said with a mocking tone.

Midori was too drugged up to recognize the sarcasm in Youko's reply. "You think so too? Ahh... You are the only person who understand me." She sloppily wiped her nose with Youko's shirt, not seeing the disgusted expression on her friend's face. "I've had enough with men. Maybe I should turn gay and date you instead."

_Eww, snot... WHAT?!_ "It's the drug talking." Youko felt a vein popped up on her forehead. "I think you've hit your head too. Now sit here and don't go anywhere. I'll go make an appointment to get your shoulder and your head examined." Feeling more than a bit annoyed, Youko pried away Midori's clingy fingers and fled from her clueless friend.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

My beta is busy, so this chapter is unbeta'd. Please read and review.


	27. Changes

Chapter 27: Changes

"Natsuki."

"Woof!"

"Natsuki-chan."

_Where... am I? _

Natsuki gave a start when she found herself standing in the middle of a familiar living room along with three other people who should not have been here.

"Smile for the camera." Said a handsome man in his early thirties. _Dad... _"Wait, you have icing on your face, Natsuki." The man chuckled lightly and put down the camera in his hands. He walked passed a stunned Natsuki and kneeled down before a four-year-old girl, wiping the child's messy face with a napkin.

_That's... me._

"Mayo!" Young Natsuki squealed and stuck her fingers into her birthday cake to scoop up as much icing as possible with her tiny hands. Before she could put the sugary treat into her mouth, a chubby, brown puppy wobbled forward and started licking enthusiastically at her fingers. The birthday girl let out a series of high-pitched giggles as she stumbled backward and landed on a young woman's lap.

_Okaa-san._

"Natsuki-chan, what name would you like to give to your birthday present?" The woman paused for a second before she added hastily. "Don't call him Mayo or Mayonnaise, though."

Young Natsuki looked a bit crestfallen. "Why not?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Because your tricycle and all your stuffed animals are called Mayo already. You want to give your new puppy a special name, don't you?"

"Can we call him 'Puppy'?" The little girl asked hopefully.

"Well..." Her mother's head turned toward the older Natsuki. "What do you think?" She asked. Natsuki's father and her younger self both turned their heads and set their intent gazes on her as they waited for her reply.

Natsuki took a step back. "I think..." Her throat felt dry, and her chest tight. "I think you've changed," she said to her father, and then to her mother. "You are dead, and..." Her eyes fell on the young child. "You... No. I have grown up."

Young Natsuki pouted and held the puppy in her arms. "Don't go." The girl pleaded and handed the puppy to Natsuki. "Stay and play with us."

"I can't." Natsuki replied with a soft sigh. "Someone is waiting for me."

"Is 'she' more important than us?" Young Natsuki demanded.

"Yes." Natsuki surprised even herself when the answer came so easily. "You are my past, of course you are important to me, but I have her with me now. She is my future, I can't abandon her." _How weird. I know I'm dreaming, but I can still feel the heat on my face. _"It's not fair to make her wait for me again. She had shed enough tears."

"I see." Said the girl with an understanding smile on her young face. "You love her very much, don't you?"

_Why do I have to get teased by my younger self in my dream?_ "Yes, I love her very much, brat." Natsuki said and passed the puppy back to the child. "I must go now. Take good care of Duran for me."

"I still think 'Mayo' is a better name." Young Natsuki said with a light frown.

Natsuki laughed.

* * *

"Having a good dream? You are smiling." 

Natsuki's eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Shizuru's face hanging inches above hers. Before she had the chance to answer the older girl's question, her lips were captured in a tender but searing kiss.

"Hey, take it easy. Don't gag her with your forked tongue."

Natsuki almost bit Shizuru when she heard Nao's comment. "What the fuck? Nao! What the hell are you doing here?" She struggled to sit up from the bed, but her body felt like it's filled with lead.

"Don't push yourself. Your body is still weak." Completely ignoring Nao's insult, Shizuru cooed and gently pushed Natsuki back down.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Natsuki asked. She could tell she was in a hospital, but she had lost track of time. She knew she must have been unconscious for a while since she was so famish, her head felt light.

Nao snorted at her question. "Too long. You lazy ass."

Natsuki couldn't help but frowned at Nao's obvious display of hostility. _Have I done anything to provoke her? I just woke up for crying out loud! _

Shizuru gave the redhead a cold stare before she answered Natsuki's question. "You have been sleeping for two days, Natsuki. How are you feeling now?"

"Hungry." Natsuki answered with a light blush. She could hear her stomach gurgling.

Shizuru brushed Natsuki's faintly coloured cheeks with her fingers and smiled contently as the pink blushes on her girlfriend's face deepened into a shade of rosy red. "Ara, ara. I am disappointed. Is food the only think you can think of when you see me?"

"Shi... Shizuru."

Nao put a finger into her mouth and made a loud, obnoxious vomiting sound, which earned her a death glare from Natsuki and a raised eyebrow from Shizuru. "Get a room. You two are so disgusting."

"Go away!" Natsuki snapped at the redhead.

"Hmph. I wouldn't want to stay and watch you two shoving your tongues down each other's throat even if you bribe me." Nao put her hands on her neck in a mock choke while making a few more gagging sounds. She only cackled harder when she easily dodged the pillow Natsuki threw at her as she left the room. "Don't start humping yet, horndog." She yelled from the hallway. "Wait another ten minutes so I can get away. I don't want to hear you two yiffing!"

"Jerk!" Natsuki plopped down on the bed from a half-sitting position, panting lightly from suddenly sitting up and throwing that pillow. An unexpected burning sensation erupted on her back and made her winced visibly just when she leaned on her left side.

Shizuru did not miss that. "Where does it hurt? Is it your back? Let me see."

"You don't have to..."

Not waiting to hear out Natsuki's protest, Shizuru gently rolled the girl to her right side and untied the knots on the hospital gown. After a whole minute of silence, she finally said with a small sigh. "I see. So it's here."

_What is she talking about? _Natsuki tried to turn her head and check what Shizuru saw, but her movement was interrupted when she felt a finger caressing a particular spot on her back, the simple movement sent jolts of electrifying pulses down her spine. She was not aware of the ragged gasps she let out that could only be described as erotic when Shizuru insistently stroke the same place.

"Natsuki is so sensitive here." With an impish grin on her face, Shizuru lightly scraped Natsuki's back with her fingernails, making the girl to squirm and claw at the bed sheet underneath her.

"S... stop." Natsuki's voice was bordering to a moan. "Wha... what do you think you are doing?" She asked breathlessly while wiggling away from Shizuru's touch.

"Molesting your friend again, Fujino?"

Haruka's booming voice halted the former kaichou's trademarked 'Magical Finger Assult'. Slightly annoyed, Shizuru sat back in her chair and shot the blond a side-way glance, wondering if some unknown evil forces were at work solely to disturb her alone time with her Natsuki. "Try not to make a habit of walking in on us, would you? One might mistake you for a voyeur, a sexually frustrated one at that."

"I'm not a voyager!" Haruka emphasized her argument by flailing her arms around. If she were not confined in a wheelchair, she would have stomped the floor to create a more dramatic effect.

"You meant 'voyeur', not 'voyager'..." Yukino said. "Well, unless you are a space ship lost in the Delta Quadrum..."

Naturally, Yukino's soft mumbling was completely ignored by her blond friend. "Right, whatever that is, I'm not one!" Haruka said dismissively before she continued with what she came here for. "Nao said your sex poodle woke up, I just wanted to see it for myself. How rare. That delinquent was telling the truth."

"Hey! What the hell?!" The said sex poodle looked ready to explode with rage. Her alleged owner, to the love pet's horror, took an immediate liking of that awful nickname. "Shizuru. Nah uh! Not a word from you." Natsuki issued a stern warning even before the older girl had a chance to open her mouth.

Feigning a hurt expression that could fool almost everyone, Shizuru pouted but kept her silence.

Despite knowing perfectly well that her Kyoto girlfriend was only faking it, Natsuki couldn't help but feel like she was acting like a bully by snapping at Shizuru. "You don't have to shut up entirely though." She added quickly, unaware she was contradicting herself.

Turning to Haruka, Natsuki spat at the foul-mouthed blond with venom in her voice. "As for you, if you dare call me that again, I'll rip your tongue out and shove it up your ass."

Haruka put her hands up defensively and explained to the furious girl. "I'm only repeating what Nao said. Don't kill the passenger."

"You meant 'messenger'." Yukino corrected her friend again.

"That's what I said." Haruka said with her arms crossed.

_Nao again_. Natsuki was getting more and more irritated by that insolent redhead. "Whatever. Just stop calling me that, will you?"

"Ok, ok. Sheesh. This is all the thanks I get for being nice?" Haruka was not pleased by Natsuki's unfriendly attitude. "I should have stayed with Tokiha instead of visiting you."

"Mai?" The blond's tone made Natsuki feel uneasy. "What's this has to do with her?"

Yukino and Haruka exchanged a weird look, but they did not answer Natsuki's question.

Shizuru took Natsuki's hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. "I will tell you everything, but you have to promise me to stay calm."

Natsuki felt her stomach sank.

* * *

Although Shizuru had explained to her exactly what happened to Mai, Natsuki still had difficulties grasping the situation. The whole thing felt unreal. 

_Coma? Isn't that a cheap plot twist that's been infamously overused in daytime television? People in the real world don't get in coma... do they? This is not right. Focus, Natsuki. Focus!_

Natsuki shook her head and massaged the bridge of her nose, but the overwhelming feeling of mental exhaustion was not going away.

"Are you sure you want to see her now?" Shizuru asked carefully. "I know you are concerned about your friend, but there is really nothing you can do now. Besides, you still need to rest..."

"I want to see her." Natsuki stressed again. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Let me just take a quick look at her. I'm worried about Mikoto too. So please?"

Shizuru couldn't say no.

* * *

Nao was impressed when Shiho found her in her hiding place, which was a small patch of grass underneath a tall sakura tree in a secluded corner of Fuuka Hospital's courtyard. The pink-haired brat had been blatantly stalking her for the last two days. No matter where she hid, Shiho was always able to find her. Nao was starting to understand what it was like to be Tate. 

"Mikoto is upset again." Shiho said and sat down next to the older redhead, staring at her with a disapproving pout.

Nao gave the girl a bored look. "What's that has to do with me?"

"I thought you two were friends." Shiho said, twisting a small lock of pink hair idly with a finger. "She always listens to you."

"So?"

"So you should go comfort her like a good friend should do. You know why she's upset, Mai-san..."

Bad move.

By mentioning Mai's name in front of Nao, Shiho instantly pissed the redhead off. "You are annoying. Get lost." Nao spat. Shiho flinched but did not back away.

"But Mikoto needs..."

"I said 'get lost'!" The redhead jumped up and grabbed the front of Shiho's shirt, glaring at the frightened girl with obvious disgust on her face. "Do not ever come near me again, you crazy stalker. Leave me the fuck alone! If I see you following me around again, I swear I'll shave your head and strangle you with your own hair. Is that clear?"

Shiho held her breath and hesitantly nodded her head, her brown puppy eyes filled with tears. She didn't understand why Nao would be so mad at her. _Maybe I just caught her in a bad time. Maybe I just caught her in a bad mood. Maybe I should come back later and try again. She can't be serious about shaving my head... _

Just when they were still locked in a staring match, something exploded over their heads. As pieces of frozen debris raining down from above, Shiho found herself being tackled to the ground...

And kissed on the lips.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Sorry about the late update. I just started a new job so I couldn't spend as much time writing. (Karen said I was married to my job... ;-;) The massive writer's block didn't help either. My beta Hannah told me she hasn't got time to beta this chapter, so I decided to post this unbeta'd. Don't be shy to point out any mistakes, I will go back and fix them.

2. Special thanks to **chatterbox-hikaru13** for medical advices. Also I thank you all for your patience. :D Please read and review.


	28. HiME

Chapter 28: HiME

Viola and Kruger were the first ones to arrive at the scene of the explosion. To their relief, as well as utter astonishment, they soon learned that the explosion wasn't caused by another Searrs attack like they had feared.

Standing in the centre of destruction was Kuga Natsuki, who alone was unscathed. An explosive force emanating from Natsuki's trembling form had blown all the others away. Kanzaki, Tate, and Mikoto hurriedly got up from the floor and threw themselves in front of the comatose Mai, shielding her from the supernatural hailstorm with their own bodies.

"Natsuki! Stop!" Shizuru shouted, but her weak voice was not enough to cut through the blizzard. Pulling herself up from the floor, Shizuru braved through the tempest of jagged ice shards with an arm over her face and latched onto Natsuki's waist with her other arm. "That's enough!"

Natsuki didn't hear her.

Gaping into nothingness with clouded green eyes as turbulent as the raging sea, Natsuki thought she was drowning again.

_So cold…_

Shizuru watched in horror as the agonizing sorrow in Natsuki's eyes slowly faded into a blank, dead stare. "Look at me!" she screamed and grabbed the girl's head with both hands, forcing her to look into her own panicking red eyes. "Listen to me. I want you to calm down," said Shizuru with the sternest voice she could muster. "Do this for me. Calm down. Please."

Natsuki blinked slowly. Shizuru's voice sounded like it was coming from some place far, far away.

"Relax. Close your eyes."

Natsuki obeyed. The moment she did, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion knocked her off her feet. She collapsed lifelessly in Shizuru's arms like a puppet with its strings cut. And with the cause fallen unconscious, the ice storm finally stopped.

Checking the girl's breathing and pulse, Shizuru let out a baited breath after making sure Natsuki was only passed out. "Don't scare me like that," Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear, tenderly stroking the girl's sickly pale face with a finger before picking her up as if she were as light as a feather. Carefully adjusting her arms to allow the side of Natsuki's head to rest comfortably against the nape of her neck, Shizuru walked toward the door only to be blocked off by Nao.

"You have a hell of explaining to do, Fujino," said the redhead with both her hands clenched into fists. She had rushed here as fast as her injured ankle could carry her, fully intending to fight another losing battle against Searrs' monsters. She knew she deserved an answer, and she wanted it now.

Shizuru tossed the redhead a careless glance before peering around and saw all eyes were on her, silently demanding an explanation. "Yuuki-san," Shizuru said with a serene smile, her voice was as melodic and cheerful as ever.

Nao unconsciously took a step back. She felt her skin crawling.

"Get out of my way."

Nao gulped and stumbled backward, almost bumping into Shiho as she backed off in pure terror.

"Ookini," Shizuru said, and she gracefully walked pass her with gentle eyes focusing solely on the most precious person in her arms, not sparing the redhead a second glance.

No one stopped them.

* * *

"Would somebody PLEASE explain to me what the hell is going on?!" Haruka yelled in absolute outrage. The wheelchair she was sitting on squeaked in protest as she flapped her arms around to stress her exasperation. 

The former Executive Director and her loyal friend were on their way back to their room when they heard the explosion. Fearing there might be another Searrs' attack, they rushed there at break-neck speed only to find a trashed room looking like someone had set off twenty liquid nitrogen bombs earlier.

"We don't have time for this. Let's get Mai-san out first," Reito said with his teeth audibly clattering from the cold and proceeded to cart the whole bed out of the room. There was a thin sheet of ice crystals covering the former host of the Obsidian Lord's face as well as every visible surface inside the room. Tate and Mikoto wordlessly followed Kanzaki's order and helped push the bed out to the hallway.

Exchanging a worried look, Yukino gave her blond friend a firm nod and then quickly ran to Mikoto's side, stopping the petite girl from using her arms. "Mikoto-chan, you need to see a doctor too." She eyed the crimson patch of blood-soaked bandage on Mikoto's shoulder with obvious concern. The tender wound on the girl's shoulder had barely started to heal, and the earlier incident had caused more than a few torn stitches.

Kanzaki jerked his head up and stared at his little sister's injured shoulder. He looked like he wanted to kick himself.

"But Mai…" Mikoto whined.

"A little cold won't kill her," Nao snapped, her sudden outburst making the pink-haired girl standing beside her jump. "Just worry about yourself. That woman," her dark gaze fell on Mai's still form and the corner of her eyes twitched, "is as good as dead."

"Mai's not dead!" Mikoto screamed and punched the redhead square in the jaw. Yukino could hardly react fast enough to hold the feral girl back.

"They just don't wake up once they are in a fucking coma!" Nao screamed back with one hand covering her aching jaw. It was hard to tell whether the tears gathered in her eyes were from physical pain or emotional turmoil. She shoved past Kanzaki, who had situated himself between her and his sister to prevent another brawl fight, and roughly grabbed the front of Mikoto's hospital gown with her unbroken hand. "You wait, and wait, and fucking wait some more but it's all pointless. They never…" Her voice broke. The rest of the sentence died in her throat.

A gentle hand rested on Nao's shoulder; the firm weight of the touch almost made the tears in her eyes spill past her eyelids.

"But Kuga woke up, didn't she?" said Kruger with a deep and calming voice.

Nao visibly trembled and slackened her grip on Mikoto's cloth. "Kuga was only unconscious…"

Kruger shook her head. "Her condition was about as bad as Tokiha's."

Confusion welled up in Nao's mind, but then suddenly an idea struck her, and so did a blinding sense of hope she had not felt in so many years. "Her power… You did something, didn't you?! What did you do? Anything… Just help mama… Please…" Nao, for the third time in her live, openly pleaded in tears.

She had done so the first time to those filthy men, begging them to stop brutally assaulting, _hurting_ her mama, but those bastards never stopped until her most precious person was broken beyond repair; she had done so the second time to bystanders, cops, doctors, _everyone_, begging them to help her mama. At the end, nobody could do anything no matter how much she pleaded, _grovelled_ with her forehead hitting the ground. No one could help her. She alone suffered in eternal despair.

She could only count on herself.

More than a little taken aback by Nao's bizarre breakdown, a flicker of panic flashed over Kruger's nervous emerald eyes as she stared at the redhead who was now clinging to her like an upset child to her mother. "O… Oi!" Kruger awkwardly fought away Nao's clingy hands while shooting daggers with her eyes at Viola who was, instead of helping her out of this sticky situation, grinning at her with an eyebrow quirked in amusement.

"You made Natsuki wake up, right? You can make Mai wake up too, right? Right?" Mikoto followed Nao's example and clung on Kruger, pleading while gawking at the flustered Otome's face with teary golden eyes.

Kruger sighed.

"Now listen. All I did was giving Kuga some of the nanomachines inside me. They were only supposed to help her heal faster. I had no idea they could wake her up from her coma," Kruger glanced at the trashed room and continued, "or turn her into a human-fridge. Stop pestering me and go bother her, damn it."

"Nanomachines…" Yukino repeated thoughtfully. "So it's not her HiME power." Her brows kneaded together in puzzlement. "Viola-san, if I remember correctly, you told us a few days ago that nanomachines were practically useless without a GEM acting as a control panel. Then why was Natsuki-san able to unleash nanomachines' power without a GEM?"

"She didn't need a GEM," replied a weak voice.

Yukino whipped around to face the owner of the voice - it was none other than Erstin, the young girl who worked for Searrs. Sitting on a wheelchair pushed by Arika, the girl still looked entirely too pale to be leaving her bed. Yukino eyed the thick wad of bandage on Erstin's neck for a few moments but quickly tore her gaze away while mentally berating herself for the rude staring.

"A GEM is a poor imitation of a HiME mark; a Slave is an inferior substitute of an Orphan; an Otome is a cheap copy of a true HiME," Erstin explained.

Kruger scowled at the blonde's remark.

Erstin smiled sadly at Kruger's angry face. "I will tell you everything I know. Searrs…" A shadow stole across her gentle feature, the pain of seeing her beloved Nina lying unconscious on a hospital bed once again made her dizzy with raw, dark hatred. "Shall pay for what they did to us."

* * *

"I am disappointed in you," Smith said dully, his humourless blue eyes narrowed dangerously behind round glasses. 

Sergay felt a chill crawl down his spine when he met the short man's eyes.

"Each and everyone… Not one of you is reliable." Smith idly drummed his fingers on the metal railing while gazing at the content of the huge glass tank in front of him. "Fake HiME, fake Child, fake Orphan, fake Element, fake HiME Star… They're all fakes, but they're all we have. What should we try out next? How about…" The man smiled, tapping the glass tank fondly with a knuckle.

Miyu stared back at the short man from inside her liquid-filled glass prison; her coral pink eyes unseeing.

"Fake Human." Smith pushed his glasses up thoughtfully as a grin broadened across his pale face. "Ahh… Maybe we should also see how powerful 'that Child' is. We do need a proper field test, yes."

There was something about Smith's tone that made Sergay shiver in fright. He could almost taste the menace in the man's voice. Smith was beyond angry. That much he was sure of

It had not been an easy task bringing back the android. Although they had anticipated the Yggdrasil Unit's involvement in advance since its attempt to hack into Searrs' mainframe had tipped them off, it had cost them three Slaves to deliver the viral program into the android's system.

Other than the successful retrieval of the Yggdrasil Unit, the rest of the mission had been a horrible mess. They not only failed to capture the two Z-types, they also lost five precious Cursed Obsidian GEMs in the process. However, the most humiliating of all was the circumstances where those C-types were "found" after the battle. Fearing Smith's wrath, Sergay almost wanted to falsify the report if not for his unsurpassed loyalty to the man.

Whoever did **that** to the C-types clearly had a very sick sense of humour. No wonder Smith tore up the photos that came with the report in a fit of blind fury. What kind of sadists would purposely change their captives into baby costumes and adult diapers, super-glue their thumbs in their mouths, write 'SEARRS SUCK!' on their foreheads, and then release them in downtown Fuuka?

* * *

Chie and Viola sneezed at the same time. 

"You are not sick, are you?" Kruger took off the thin blue coat she was wearing and draped it over Viola's shoulder. Anyone else but the older Otome would have thought the deep frown between Kruger's eyebrows was from displeasure, not genuine concern.

Viola beamed at her partner, obviously pleased by the simple gesture. "I don't get sick this easily."

"Aha! Someone must be talking about us behind our backs." Chie flashed her worried girlfriend a toothy grin. "I wonder what they're gossiping about."

"Something good, I hope." Aoi pouted. "You should wear more clothes, Chie-chan. It's crazy cold in here. They say the Summer Flu is the most annoying of all sicknesses. You don't want to get sick now."

"Of course it's crazy cold in here. We're in the freaking morgue. Why are we in the morgue again?" Nao was in an epic foul mood. If one had to use only one word to describe her current mental state, it would be "fragile". The constant nervous tick near her right temple would be a clear indication of her unstable psyche.

First, she fought a biomechanical monster with a broken vase as a weapon, and then she had a near death experience falling off a two-story building. After that, she was stuck in a hateful hospital with her comatose mama, her critically injured frien… acquaintances, and an obnoxiously nosy – not to mention sickeningly pink - stalker. As if those weren't enough to drive her insane, God, if there was one, had decided to humour her further by showing her an illusive glimpse of hope at such perfect timing.

Nao swore to all that was holy that she would become a nun and serve the Christian Lord if no one would ever make fun of her about her breakdown. How embarrassing that was; the mighty Yuuki Nao was begging for someone's mercy! Not to say that "someone" had the same aggravating Kuga face…

"We're in the morgue because the hospital needs its lab back. This is the only place they could spare us at the moment," Youko explained.

The hospital morgue was quite roomy, but it was never designed to hold so many breathing, living people in the first place. Other than Shizuru, Natsuki, Mai, Nina, and Arika, all the girls were called into this place for an important meeting. Haruka had dubbed it the "HiME Ranger Power Info Session" (HRPIS for short, but no one else would call it that since it sounded too obscene when they tried to pronounce it).

"Yeah, yeah." Nao crossed her arms impatiently. "I don't care what you want from me, just remember what you promised earlier: I do whatever you want me to do, you give my mama the nano-thingy that woke Kuga from her coma."

Kruger was not happy about the arrangement at all. "I told you already I have no idea how the nanomachines work. That stuff is nasty, I tell ya. What is it with you people? That Kuga person got lucky. That's all. Next time the nanomachines might kill somebody. Is that what you want?"

Nao snapped back at the raven-haired Otome. "I don't happen to have a lot of options, do I?"

"Hey! Stop fighting, you two!" Haruka intervened. Keeping order was like second nature to her.

"You're not the boss around here, so shove it," the redhead barked. "Unless you have something constructive to say for once, otherwise just shut your big, fat mouth and go play the Executive Director somewhere else."

"Well, I do have something constrictive to say…"

"It's constructive…" Yukino added with a worried frown, but her voice was too small to be heard.

Haruka pointed at herself with a thumb and stated loudly. "Put them nano-things in me. I'm no HiME, but I'm not sickly either. If the nano-whatnots don't kill me, then we'll all agree it's safe enough to use them on Tokiha and Yuuki's mom. Is this idea constrictive enough for you?"

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Mai Otome Drama CDs contain some very interesting information. Otome!Chie is made of pure awesomeness.

2. (Bows deeply) Sorry about the long wait, I'll _try_ to update faster… Please read and review :D

3. My deepest thanks to the amazing **Dr. Leebot**! He's one hell of a beta!

4. I've added a poll in my profile. Please participate in the poll if you're interested.


	29. Things that Need to be Said

Chapter 29: Things That Need To Be Said

* * *

"Stop moving around. You're making me..." _Sick._ Haruka squeezed her eyes shut and quickly covered her mouth with a hand to stop herself from puking all over the place.

Nao rolled her eyes impatiently at the blonde and grudgingly crossed her arms. "Alright, alright, I'll sit still. But gee, I was just getting up to open the windows to let some fresh air in. Is this the thanks I get when I'm trying to do something nice for you?"

Haruka wanted so much to snap back at the infuriating redhead, but she couldn't. At the moment, she was way too sick to be angry.

It was all nanomachines' fault.

Maybe it was her rotten luck, or maybe it was because Haruka wasn't a HiME; the way her body reacted to the nanomachine injection was not pretty at all. The first day after she received the injection, she ran an insanely high fever of 40 degrees Celsius and threw up everything she ate that morning. It got a little bit better the next day, but she still couldn't swallow anything other than a few sips of warm water to moisten her lips. Now it was the third day, and she finally could persuade her stomach to retain some solid food – if Nao would just quit loitering in her room, then everything would be perfect.

No, not perfect. Yukino still refused to talk to her. The girl wouldn't even come see her during these three days she was bedridden. It seemed her volunteering to be a human Guinea pig had seriously pissed that mild-tempered girl off. Physical discomfort (a lot of physical discomfort) she could handle, but getting the silent treatment from her best friend was too much for her to bear.

"So how are you feeling now?" Nao sat back down on a chair next to Haruka's bed and asked carefully.

"Still alive." Haruka groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose with a thumb and forefinger. "Go away. I know you want to keep an eye on the nanothingies' progress, but you're getting annoying."

"I'll leave when I want to."

"Fine." The blonde paused for a minute and asked again, "Tell that pink bundle of horror to leave, then."

Nao laughed dryly. "Believe me, I tried."

"I'm right here!" Shiho protested without really being offended. By now she had gotten used to Nao and Haruka talking to each other as if she didn't exist.

"Why is she following you around anyway?" Haruka had been meaning to ask this. "She is sticking to you like a fly after..."

"Honey? Yeah, I have no idea why," Nao said dismissively.

"I was gonna say 'dog poop'..."

Shiho looked like she was about to burst into tears any moment. "You have no idea why? But you ki..."

Nao interrupted her before she had the chance to finish her sentence. "That was an accident. In case you haven't noticed, but that happened because I was trying to push your slow ass out of harm's way. I only did that out of reflex; you're fooling yourself if you think i was trying to save you. Not to mention you've been stalking me even before that. It's getting creepy, so I suggest you stop now. Go wrap your tentacles around your onii-chan or whatever. Stalk him. Just leave me the fuck alone."

That little speech sent Shiho running out of the room crying.

"Hey! You don't have to be so mean to that girl. You don't have any finance at all!" Haruka sat up from the bed and glared at Nao's impassive face. Her over-inflated sense of justice wouldn't keep her from butting into other people's business.

Nao couldn't care less about the blonde's opinion. "You mean 'finesse'? What makes you think you have the right to tell me how to treat a girl? Didn't you sent Yukino running in tears just a few days ago?"

Haruka winced at Nao's comeback. "That's... different. Oh, shut up." She lay back down to her bed and turned away from the redhead. Right now the boring view of slightly peeled white hospital wall looked far more interesting than Nao's aggravating face. "What do you know about us anyway? I'm trying to do the right thing here. She shouldn't be so upset. She can be so hard to understand sometimes!"

"What's so difficult to understand?"

Haruka made a startled noise at the voice and quickly shot up from the bed. "Yukino..." She muttered, somehow finding her own voice suddenly became oddly squeaky at the younger girl's presence.

Yukino was standing at the door with a tray-full of food in her hand. The ceramics on the tray rattled softly against each other as the girl shook in anger. "Have you thought about the consequences? No! Have you even considered other options before you offered yourself up as a human Guinea pig? No! You didn't care about what I had to say about this and now you're complaining **I** am difficult to understand. How dare you."

The always-confident blonde could not think of a proper reply to her best friend's accusation. She wanted to argue that she was only trying to do the right thing, but now she realized that by trying to be selfless, she was actually being selfish. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sounds came out. After a few moments of awkward silence, she finally lowered her head and admitted, "I'm sorry."

Nao grinned broadly at Yukino as a sense of newfound respect welled up in her chest. She suspected it was the first time ever that someone made Suzushiro Haruka's head droop in shame. _Who would've thought Suzushiro is the uke in a relationship. Must. Tell. Everyone._

_Speaking of everyone... I wonder if anyone has found Kuga yet._

* * *

Natsuki was not missing, no. She just needed a break so badly, she sneaked out of the hospital in the middle of the night. Now she was standing at her favourite spot, the cliff by the ocean where everything started, and gazing at the silver ripples dancing across the black water's surface. This place calmed her. It always did.

"'Taking a walk. Be back soon. Don't worry about me. Signed: Kuga Natsuki.'"

Natsuki whipped around to face the familiar voice behind her. She knew that one would show up sooner or later, but she didn't expect it to be so soon.

Shizuru shook her head disapprovingly at the younger girl and waved the slip of note in her hand. "Is this supposed to stop me from worrying about you?"

"Apparently, it didn't," Natsuki said with a lopsided smile. "How did you know I'm here?"

"Where else would you be?" Shizuru chuckled, tilting her head slightly and brushing a lock of her sandy hair behind her ear.

"Good point." Natsuki sighed and turned back to gaze at the ocean. She put her upper arms flat against the metal railing and rested her head on top. "I guess I'm just transparent before you, aren't I?"

Shizuru walked up next to the raven-haired girl and stood with her back leaning against the railing. "No, not really. It's actually quite the opposite," she explained to Natsuki's mildly surprised face. "You are a complete mystery to me. "

"I am?"

Shizuru nodded. "Most of the time I fear that I don't know anything about you, Natsuki. Not nearly enough. '_Will Natsuki be upset if I do this?_' '_Will Natsuki be happy if I do that?_' I ask myself those questions all the time. And yet, each time I tremble with fear that if I do something wrong, you would end up hating me."

"Shizu... ru."

"I've made a lot of mistakes. Some mistakes more severe than others. It's mind-boggling to me that you haven't decided to run in the opposite direction when you see me coming your way... Or am I wrong again about that?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki grabbed the older girl's hand and gave it a strong squeeze. "Don't think that. I'll never do that to you. Don't you know how important you are to me by now?"

"I... would like to think I do." Shizuru smiled sadly. "But I can't help but consider the worst alternative."

_We're so similar._ Natsuki thought, while trying to come up with enough mental strength for what she was about to tell Shizuru. "I'm... I hate to say this, but I think I should let you know..." She sucked in a deep breath and admitted, "I'm afraid. I'm totally freaking out now."

Her confession earned her a raised eyebrow.

"About what?" Shizuru asked.

"A lot of stuff. About Searrs, about Mai, about the nanomachines in my body." Natsuki looked away from Shizuru's face and turned to look at their linking hands. "But mostly about you."

Shizuru patiently awaited for Natsuki to elaborate on what she just said.

Natsuki straightened up and concentrated for a moment. A tiny silver and blue pistol materialized in her open palm before she caught it neatly in a snap. "This power... I know the Carnival has ended, and the HiME Star is no more…" She released the weapon to let it vanish into thin air. "But what if I'm wrong?" She stared into Shizuru's smouldering red eyes, her voice trembling with too much suppressed emotion. "I can't lose you again."

"You won't," Shizuru reassured firmly. "I'll always stay by your side if that's what you wish."

"I'm not so sure about that." Natsuki said quietly. "Willingly or not, the people I love have the tendency to leave me."

Shizuru laughed, which was the last reaction Natsuki expected from the Kyoto-born. She was laughing so much, her eyes were starting to tear up. Natsuki looked confused by Shizuru's reaction for a second and then she started to get pissed off. "Hey! I'm pouring my heart out here. Why are you laughing at me?"

"Kannin na," Shizuru said while wiping her eyes with her fingers. She gazed at her fuming girlfriend with utmost adoration in her eyes. _My Natsuki surely worries about "a lot of stuff" like she said_, Shizuru thought. "Natsuki," she said, and she took a step back to create some distance between them.

Bolts of energy crackled in Shizuru's palm before they materialized into a naginata, an impressive piece of weaponry almost as beautiful as the wielder herself. Natsuki watched in fascination as Shizuru effortlessly slung her naginata over her shoulder in a languid, fluid motion. _How can she look so... hot?_ Natsuki thought faintly to herself.

"Unwillingly, of course. It's not like I won't put up a good fight if anyone ever tries to make me leave you. They'll have a really hard time trying, though," Shizuru said, and she paused for a long moment. "You're drooling."

Natsuki's hand shot up to wipe her mouth.

Shizuru wasn't joking.

* * *

Instead of going straight back to the hospital, they decided to go to Natsuki's own apartment that night. It was mostly like all the other innocent sleepovers they'd had in the past, before the Carnival, before the many confessions. Mostly. Except for the innocent part.

They forgot to call and tell the others they were not going back to the hospital for the night.

Understandably so.

* * *

Nina woke up feeling as if she'd just gotten run over by a train. It wasn't very far from what had really happened.

"...The data we've collected from Suzushiro-san is... troublesome, to say the least. Although I still can't completely agree with your proposal, I have to say that it's the most feasible method to solve our current problem. I don't want to admit it, but we're pretty much out of options."

It was Director Fumi talking. Nina couldn't see her because of the curtain surrounding the bed she had been sleeping in, but she recognized the voice. She wondered who the Director was talking to.

"There are two Cores residing in the base. One is used to summon the Slaves, and the other one is used to certify the Otome. I don't really know much about the inner working of the Cores, but I know that if we can find a way to disable them, we can render both the Slaves and Otome useless."

If Nina wasn't feeling so weak at the moment, she would have jumped up from the bed. The person talking with the Director was Erstin. There was no way she would mistake her voice... Although she did sound a bit scratchy and out of breath. _Doesn't matter. As long as she is alive and well_, Nina thought with much relief.

A third person spoke. Nina vaguely recognized it to be a young girl's voice, but she wasn't quite sure who that child was. "We'll just have to destroy them," the girl said coldly. "And we'll destroy all their data as well, so they'll be forced to start from scratch."

_Whoever that child is, she sure is angry,_ Nina thought to herself.

"Viola-san, Kruger-san, what's your opinion on this?" Fumi asked.

"I agree with kiddo here. If we don't go after them, they'll come after us. We have to strike first," Kruger said with a sage nod. "Optimally, we'll need five separate groups for this: one to deal with the C-types, one to deal with the Slaves, two for the two Cores, and another one to go after their data. Hmm... Six. We need one more as our backup." Kruger put a hand on top of Alyssa's head and ruffled her soft, blond hair. The child flinched a little at the unexpected contact, but she wasn't too displeased. It was oddly nice to be pat in the head.

Kruger continued, "So we can rescue the android if we find her in the base. We can cut this down to three groups if we must, but that'll make this job twice as difficult. Do we have enough manpower to carry this out?"

Viola chuckled at her partner's question. "Oh, I think we do. After all, we have enough HiME power on our side."

"HiME..." Fumi let out a soft sigh. She really didn't like this idea one bit, but there was no other way. It was a battle they had to fight. "I understand. I will tell the girls about your proposal. I won't force them to agree with this, however. This is not another Carnival. This time, we HiME should have the freedom to choose our own destiny. I trust that all of us will make the right choice."

* * *

Author's Notes:

1. Sorry for the long wait. Muse was stuck in a really bad traffic jam and didn't came until 2 nights ago.

2. Yup. They had sex. Please don't hate me for not showing it. Shizuru told me not to.

Beta's Note: That's odd. She always tells me to show it in explicit detail. :P

Another Author's Note: Shizuru wants to save it for their nighttime activity. She wants Natsuki to read the explicit detail to her only.


	30. Fight or Flight

Chapter 30: Fight or Flight

* * *

Haruka's face crunched up in utmost concentration. One could almost see steam shooting out of her ears from trying to focus her mind so much.

"Maybe you should just give up, you know. You definitely don't have the talent for it. Heh, you should see yourself in a mirror. You are going cross-eyed already," Nao said with a yawn. She was quite bored watching the blonde's futile attempts.

Haruka narrowed her eyes at the redhead's comment. "I am working on it, alright? It's almost there, I can feel it."

"Really? Are we even talking about the same thing? 'Cause it sure looks like you're trying to force a bowel movement after a week-long constipation."

Fortunately, Yukino and Fumiko both caught the blonde's arms in time, thus preventing her fist connecting with Nao's chin in an uppercut.

"This is a mistake. What are we thinking putting these two in the same room?" Yukino sighed. "Alright, girls, no fighting. Haruka-san, please calm down. Nao-san, stop taunting her and show her how to do it again, please."

"Ok, ok." Nao backed off and cracked her knuckles. She grinned wickedly at Haruka and extended an arm out slowly. "First, you concentrate on the palm of your hand. Feel the warmth and tingling sensations spreading outward toward your fingertips. After that, visualize all that power and energy taking shape in your hands," she said, and she twitched her fingers slightly. Metallic claws grew out of her fingers and layers of overlapping dark crimson metal plates formed around her hands like a gauntlet in an instant. "Ta da. That's how you create your Element."

"I understand all that, I can even feel the warmth and tingling thingy you were talking about. But I just can't make it shoot out of my hands!" Haruka said with a frustrated growl. "It's tingling so much my hands are going numb!"

"Like I said, you don't have the talent for it." Nao shrugged.

Haruka huffed and went back to her exercise with a scowl.

To be perfectly fair, Yukino silently agreed that the girl did look as if she needed more fiber in her diet.

* * *

Nao received her dose of nanomachine injection the same time as her comatose mother. In fact, she was lying on the bed right next to the woman during the procedure. The redhead was up and about in minutes without any symptom of the discomfort Haruka had suffered earlier, but her mother hadn't shown any sign of improvement at all.

She tried to tell herself that her mama only needed more time to recover, but she utterly failed to convince even herself.

Mai, however, recovered at an amazing rate as soon as those tiny robots entered her bloodstream. The girl woke up from her coma in two days to a black-haired mess sobbing into her bosom and her no-longer frail little brother, who technically, should still be in the States for his physical therapy after his surgery.

Takumi and Akira had taken the first flight back to Fuuka after they heard about Mai's injury. Although Mai should be upset with the boy for ditching his rehab program, she couldn't find the heart to scold him. (She told Mikoto's ears off for wiping her tears and drools and snobs on her shirt though.)

She then got a quick update from Chie. Apparently a lot had happened during the few days she was out.

"You mean to tell me that, in order to save my life, you had to inject me with Searrs' experimental nanobots so that I was granted superhuman healing ability. And, by doing so, I effectively gained back my lost HiME power as a side effect. Am I missing anything here?"

Chie thought for a moment and shook her head.

Mai wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. "So what else?"

"Well," Chie rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression. "Let's see. No one died, that's the most important part. Miyu went missing, that's the worst part. Everyone else is doing pretty good considering what we went through. The ones that don't need to be hospitalized are staying at the secret underground base with Fumiko Director. Midori-sensei and Youko-sensei are watching over the ones that are still in the hospital. Oh, and Nao is being stalked by a pink tentacle monster."

Mai choked on the water she failed to swallow.

Aoi giggled at her friend's response. "She means Shiho. Don't listen to her."

"Why would Shiho stalk Nao of all people?" Mai asked in amazement. "They barely know each other! Last time I checked, Shiho was obsessed with Tate."

Chie shrugged. "Stranger stuff has happened. Say, for example, battle android, flying mecha monster, and secret organization that conducts illegal experiments to mass produce super-soldiers because it's hell-bent on world domination... Yeah, I would say Shiho batting for the other team scores pretty low on the bizarre-o-scale."

* * *

"If I tell you I have nothing to do with the whole mess, would you believe me?"

Natsuki stared down at the man who used to be her most trusted informant with her arms crossed in front of her chest, a look of faint disappointment on her face. Maybe it was the poor lighting in this smoke-filled seedy bar, but the rat who sold her out actually looked quite depressed. "That would depend on how much you are willing to tell me, Yamada," She warned and sat down next to him.

"Fair enough. First of all, I knew nothing of their plot to capture you. They were monitoring everyone's communication; I didn't know my phone was tapped." Yamada let out a heavy sigh. "I was used. If I had known, I wouldn't have contacted you. I do have a reputation to maintain. Honestly, I am more mortified by this ordeal than you are. This is bad for business."

Natsuki's humourless green eyes bore into the man's face. She wanted to believe him, but she needed more.

Yamada took a sip from the glass of Scotch he had been nursing all day. "I didn't find out until afterward, that the pictures I had on file were not you and your Kyoto girl. Imagine my surprise when I realized that." He took in a deep breath and whispered. "Let's just say Alyssa Searrs is but one of many successful cloning attempts the organization made. She was the first successful case, no doubt, but she was certainly not the last."

"But… How?" Natsuki's brow furrowed in confusion. "We look exactly the same. If they were clones, shouldn't they be much younger?"

Yamada shook his head. "Don't ask me. They must've figured out a way to manipulate the clone's growth rate or something. Why they did that, though, is beyond me."

Natsuki didn't know what to say. It amazed and disgusted her how far those bastards in Searrs would go to obtain power; power that they had no right to.

"This one is on the house." Yamada pushed a thick envelope toward his client. "Think of it as my sincere apology."

* * *

Later the same day, Director Fumi was addressing her fellow HiME in the underground cavern back in Fuuka.

Even though her old mistress Mashiro had personally entrusted her with the honour to look after all the HiME, she sometimes loathed this heavy burden. Especially now for what she was about to tell those girls.

"There is no other way."

Her audience, the HiME Rangers Mark II (Mai was let out of the hospital that morning), waited patiently for the Director to collect her thoughts. A very pregnant former-nun Yukariko, the art teacher Ishida, even Akane and her boyfriend Kazuya were summoned here just for this meeting.

She gave everyone in the room a sweeping scan before declaring, "We must attack in three days."

"What!" Haruka, not surprising anyone, jumped up from her seat and demanded, "What do you mean we must attack?"

"Please sit down," Fumi said calmly. "Let me elaborate. Based on the information we received, it is confirmed that Searrs has captured Miyu."

Sitting rigidly in her seat, Alyssa clenched her fists angrily.

"They are re-installing her programs as we speak. Once they are done, they will no doubt unleash her power against us. As we are now, we stand no chance." Fumi paused for a moment to let her audiance absorb the significance of this information, and continued, "We know from our experience that us HiME made excellent candidates to receive nanomachine injection. Those who did," Fumi gestured at Nao, who looked more than a little smug, "regained part of their HiME power."

"According to Viola-san and Kruger-san, they were the only known Z-type Otome. The C-type Otome are of a different breed, a weaker variation. For some reasons, Searrs couldn't manufacture more Z-type." She gestured at Haruka, who looked slightly insulted. "From what we know, it takes a HiME gene to activate the nanomachine."

Midori grinned broadly when she realized the implication. "I see. That means no matter what we do, Searrs will come after us if only because we might make worthy research material. We can't hide under a rock forever, and there is nowhere we can run given how influential their organization is. It leaves us with the only option - fight back. We need to show them that we won't take their abuse lying down."

Fumi nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

Haruka objected loudly, "That's bullshit!" The blonde gave the history teacher a hard glare, "You are suggesting that a bunch of _girls_ should start a war against a criminal organization that has its own private army and battle ships and missiles and tanks and monsters and god-knows-what on their side." She inhaled and barked at the adults in this group in absolute outrage, "Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

Yukino cringed at the foul language. "Haruka-chan! That's enough! You don't have to be so rude!"

Fumi put her hand up to forestall further arguments. "You've mistaken my intention, Suzushiro-san. Please let me finish."

The blonde sat back down in her chair. "You better make yourself damn convincing. If I'm not satisfied with your explanation, I'm out of here. And Yukino is coming with me."

"I'll try. Please don't interrupt until I'm done," the Director said with much understanding. "Let me make this as clear as possible: we are not starting a war against Searrs. Yes, they are our enemy; yes, we will be fighting against them; but no, we will not be so foolish as to think we can engage them in an all-out war and come out of it victorious."

The room was silent and tense after that declaration.

Fumi elaborated, "What we are trying to do is to hit them when they didn't expect any retaliation – in other words, we ambush them. Searrs as a whole might be impossible to defeat, but we are not trying to defeat them; we will raid them, sabotage them, and then we will be gone before they can strike back. We will make them realize that antagonizing us HiME is an expensive mistake. We will force them to have no choice but to back off."

"Guerrilla warfare. I like it." Midori nodded approvingly.

Fumi gave Haruka a significant look and continued, "That is all we need, isn't it? For them to leave us alone so we can go on with our normal lives? If we don't stick together and make our stand now, they will pick us off one by one. By then, it will be too late to retaliate."

"So what you are saying is that this is our only chance to launch a surprise attack," Haruka said unhappily.

"That's correct."

"It doesn't mean a thing." Haruka said flatly. "The odds are completely on their side. All we have are a couple hi-tech flying tentacle birdman…"

"Hey, don't call me that!" Kruger growled at the blonde.

Haruka ignored her. "… and a few more magical girls. That doesn't change the fact you are throwing a group of _children_ to the wolves and expect them to do your goddamn battle! They are girls! Maybe they can do some magic tricks, but they are not your soldiers! You think I'm so stupid I don't know what you are trying to pull here? Well, think again! I know you are asking them to kill for you!"

The room was stunned into utter silence at the Haruka's accusation. Usually people were quick to dismiss the irritable blonde's opinion, but this time was different. Her accusation rang true. Everyone looked to the Director and waited for her to counter Haruka's argument.

Only it did not happen.

Fumi lowered her head in sadness, perhaps in apology too. "That's correct as well."

Even Haruka was staring at the pink-haired woman with her jaw hanging open. "You... You just admit it? You're not even trying to give me any excuses?"

"There is no point for me to lie or to sugarcoat the truth. Like I said in the beginning, there is no other way." Fumi paused, and added as an afterthought, "That is, assuming you do not wish to live a life as Searrs' test subject, or as a fugitive forever. I honestly see no alternatives."

The room was once again tense with apprehension.

"Well, count me in." Midori declared with conviction. "I don't know about you girls, but I don't consider a life as a prisoner to be worth living. I would rather dirty my hands than to lose my freedom. Besides, even though I hate to admit it, I am the adult here. If I don't fight, who will?"

"I will." Alyssa, the youngest among them, stepped forward and announced her decision. "I can never forgive them for taking Miyu from me."

"I'm in too." Natsuki raised her hand. She gave Shizuru a quick glance and explained, "There are things that are worth fighting for." Miraculously, she managed to say that corny line without blushing.

Shizuru smiled serenely. "I concur," she said, repeating the oath she had vowed in her head - for the ones I love, I would gladly fall to the deepest level of Hell.

She was unaware she was not the only one who had made such promise.

"I will accept no other choice but to fight," Viola stated simply.

Kruger sincerely agreed, "I've lived my whole life as their prisoner. It's time for a change."

"Y'all sound like you have a death wish. Count me in." Nao casually materialized her gauntlet and licked her claw. "Might be fun."

Mikoto joined in, "Me too..."

"No, you don't!" Mai interrupted, grabbing the young girl by her elbow. "Are you even thinking this through? We are talking about taking people's lives here!"

"I know what it means," Mikoto said in a hushed tone, "Please understand, Mai. I can't run. I wish... I wish to protect everyone. They've hurt enough people already. I want to stop them. I want to protect you."

Mai was speechless.

"Um, Director," Yukino asked in an uncertain voice. "Would you give us some time to think about this? It's all very sudden..." The girl cautiously peered at her best friend's fury-stricken face and pleaded.

"I don't expect anyone to commit right away," Fumi quickly clarified. "Those who wish to fight, please come back here tomorrow morning at eight. We will administer the nanomachine dose at that time if you haven't received the shot already. Those who do not wish to fight, you are free to leave."

* * *

A/N: Hi, I'm still alive. What a shock.


End file.
